diff --git a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/002_pg_upgrade.pl b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/002_pg_upgrade.pl
index 45ea94c84bb0..cccba9dc3db2 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/002_pg_upgrade.pl
+++ b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/002_pg_upgrade.pl
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ sub filter_dump
 # Cause a failure at the start of pg_upgrade, this should create the logging
 # directory pg_upgrade_output.d but leave it around.  Keep --check for an
 # early exit.
-command_fails(
+command_checks_all(
 	[
 		'pg_upgrade', '--no-sync',
 		'-d', $oldnode->data_dir,
@@ -408,6 +408,9 @@ sub filter_dump
 		'-P', $newnode->port,
 		$mode, '--check',
 	],
+	1,
+	[qr{check for ".*?does.not.exist" failed:}],
+	[],
 	'run of pg_upgrade --check for new instance with incorrect binary path');
 ok(-d $newnode->data_dir . "/pg_upgrade_output.d",
 	"pg_upgrade_output.d/ not removed after pg_upgrade failure");
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/004_subscription.pl b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/004_subscription.pl
index 13773316e1d0..3f9734f7b3ff 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/004_subscription.pl
+++ b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/004_subscription.pl
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
 $old_sub->stop;
 
-command_fails(
+command_checks_all(
 	[
 		'pg_upgrade',
 		'--no-sync',
@@ -144,6 +144,12 @@
 		$mode,
 		'--check',
 	],
+	1,
+	[
+		qr{\QYour installation contains subscriptions without origin},
+		qr{\Qrelations not in i (initialize) or r (ready) state},
+	],
+	[],
 	'run of pg_upgrade --check for old instance with relation in \'d\' datasync(invalid) state and missing replication origin'
 );
 
diff --git a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/005_char_signedness.pl b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/005_char_signedness.pl
index b3092f03bb73..d186822ac770 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/005_char_signedness.pl
+++ b/src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/005_char_signedness.pl
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 	'updated default char signedness is unsigned in control file');
 
 # Cannot use --set-char-signedness option for upgrading from v18+
-command_fails(
+command_checks_all(
 	[
 		'pg_upgrade', '--no-sync',
 		'-d', $old->data_dir,
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@
 		'--set-char-signedness', 'signed',
 		$mode
 	],
+	1,
+	[qr/--set-char-signedness option cannot be used/],
+	[],
 	'--set-char-signedness option cannot be used for upgrading from v18 or later'
 );