diff --git a/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test b/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
index 9256eea10..5a67ba506 100644
--- a/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
+++ b/tests/add-bad-date-fails.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ignore the binary we are invoked with
--f/dev/null; echo "2009/1/32" | hledger add 2>&1 | sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g' | grep -q 'date : date :'
->>>=
-0
+add
+<<<
+2009/1/32
+>>>2 /date .*: date .*/
diff --git a/tests/add-blank-date.test b/tests/add-blank-date.test
index b1e41c9a8..fbf2ac2a3 100644
--- a/tests/add-blank-date.test
+++ b/tests/add-blank-date.test
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ignore the binary we are invoked with
--f/dev/null; echo | hledger add 2>&1 |sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g' | grep -q 'date : description:'
->>>=
-0
+add
+<<<
+
+>>>2 /date .*: description/
diff --git a/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test b/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
index c68343c40..887a1f50b 100644
--- a/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
+++ b/tests/add-blank-description-fails.test
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-# ignore the binary we are invoked with
--f/dev/null; printf "\n\n" | hledger add 2>&1 | sed -e's/\[[^]]*\]//g' | grep -q 'date : description: description:'
->>>=
-0
+add
+<<<
+
+
+>>>2 /date .*: description: description:/
+