diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/test_cli.py b/src/allmydata/test/test_cli.py
index 5dc529a5b..0befb0755 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/test_cli.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/test_cli.py
@@ -1348,7 +1348,8 @@ class Check(GridTestMixin, CLITestMixin, unittest.TestCase):
         d.addCallback(lambda ign: self.do_cli("manifest", self.rooturi))
         def _manifest_failed((rc, out, err)):
             self.failIfEqual(rc, 0)
-            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", err)
+            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: ", err)
+            self.failUnlessIn("UnrecoverableFileError", err)
             # the fatal directory should still show up, as the last line
             self.failUnlessIn(" subdir\n", out)
         d.addCallback(_manifest_failed)
@@ -1356,7 +1357,8 @@ class Check(GridTestMixin, CLITestMixin, unittest.TestCase):
         d.addCallback(lambda ign: self.do_cli("deep-check", self.rooturi))
         def _deep_check_failed((rc, out, err)):
             self.failIfEqual(rc, 0)
-            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", err)
+            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: ", err)
+            self.failUnlessIn("UnrecoverableFileError", err)
             # we want to make sure that the error indication is the last
             # thing that gets emitted
             self.failIf("done:" in out, out)
@@ -1372,7 +1374,8 @@ class Check(GridTestMixin, CLITestMixin, unittest.TestCase):
         #def _deep_check_repair_failed((rc, out, err)):
         #    self.failIfEqual(rc, 0)
         #    print err
-        #    self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", err)
+        #    self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: ", err)
+        #    self.failUnlessIn("UnrecoverableFileError", err)
         #    self.failIf("done:" in out, out)
         #d.addCallback(_deep_check_repair_failed)
 
diff --git a/src/allmydata/test/test_web.py b/src/allmydata/test/test_web.py
index 492e406ad..1663436e9 100644
--- a/src/allmydata/test/test_web.py
+++ b/src/allmydata/test/test_web.py
@@ -2883,7 +2883,12 @@ class Grid(GridTestMixin, WebErrorMixin, unittest.TestCase, ShouldFailMixin):
             error_line = lines[first_error]
             error_msg = lines[first_error+1:]
             error_msg_s = "\n".join(error_msg) + "\n"
-            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", error_line)
+            # different pythons repr the exception differently, so sometimes
+            # we get "ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", and sometimes we get
+            # "ERROR: <allmydata.mutable.common.UnrecoverableFileError
+            # instance at 0x...>".
+            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: ", error_line)
+            self.failUnlessIn("UnrecoverableFileError", error_line)
             self.failUnlessIn("no recoverable versions", error_line)
             self.failUnless(len(error_msg) > 2, error_msg_s) # some traceback
             units = [simplejson.loads(line) for line in lines[:first_error]]
@@ -2904,7 +2909,8 @@ class Grid(GridTestMixin, WebErrorMixin, unittest.TestCase, ShouldFailMixin):
             error_line = lines[first_error]
             error_msg = lines[first_error+1:]
             error_msg_s = "\n".join(error_msg) + "\n"
-            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: UnrecoverableFileError", error_line)
+            self.failUnlessIn("ERROR: ", error_line)
+            self.failUnlessIn("UnrecoverableFileError", error_line)
             self.failUnlessIn("no recoverable versions", error_line)
             self.failUnless(len(error_msg) > 2, error_msg_s) # some traceback
             units = [simplejson.loads(line) for line in lines[:first_error]]