diff --git a/tests/common/macros.rs b/tests/common/macros.rs
index e8b9c9d5d..81878bf1b 100644
--- a/tests/common/macros.rs
+++ b/tests/common/macros.rs
@@ -1,40 +1,3 @@
-/// Assertion helper macro for [`CmdResult`] types
-///
-/// [`CmdResult`]: crate::tests::common::util::CmdResult
-#[macro_export]
-macro_rules! assert_empty_stderr(
-    ($cond:expr) => (
-        if $cond.stderr.len() > 0 {
-            panic!("stderr: {}", $cond.stderr_str())
-        }
-    );
-);
-
-/// Assertion helper macro for [`CmdResult`] types
-///
-/// [`CmdResult`]: crate::tests::common::util::CmdResult
-#[macro_export]
-macro_rules! assert_empty_stdout(
-    ($cond:expr) => (
-        if $cond.stdout.len() > 0 {
-            panic!("stdout: {}", $cond.stdout_str())
-        }
-    );
-);
-
-/// Assertion helper macro for [`CmdResult`] types
-///
-/// [`CmdResult`]: crate::tests::common::util::CmdResult
-#[macro_export]
-macro_rules! assert_no_error(
-    ($cond:expr) => (
-        assert!($cond.success);
-        if $cond.stderr.len() > 0 {
-            panic!("stderr: {}", $cond.stderr_str())
-        }
-    );
-);
-
 /// Platform-independent helper for constructing a PathBuf from individual elements
 #[macro_export]
 macro_rules! path_concat {
diff --git a/tests/common/util.rs b/tests/common/util.rs
index d5663e9ed..aca8ef216 100644
--- a/tests/common/util.rs
+++ b/tests/common/util.rs
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ fn read_scenario_fixture<S: AsRef<OsStr>>(tmpd: &Option<Rc<TempDir>>, file_rel_p
 
 /// A command result is the outputs of a command (streams and status code)
 /// within a struct which has convenience assertion functions about those outputs
-#[derive(Debug)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct CmdResult {
     //tmpd is used for convenience functions for asserts against fixtures
     tmpd: Option<Rc<TempDir>>,
@@ -130,6 +130,11 @@ impl CmdResult {
         self.code.expect("Program must be run first")
     }
 
+    pub fn code_is(&self, expected_code: i32) -> &CmdResult {
+        assert_eq!(self.code(), expected_code);
+        self
+    }
+
     /// Returns the program's TempDir
     /// Panics if not present
     pub fn tmpd(&self) -> Rc<TempDir> {
@@ -146,13 +151,25 @@ impl CmdResult {
 
     /// asserts that the command resulted in a success (zero) status code
     pub fn success(&self) -> &CmdResult {
-        assert!(self.success);
+        if !self.success {
+            panic!(
+                "Command was expected to succeed.\nstdout = {}\n stderr = {}",
+                self.stdout_str(),
+                self.stderr_str()
+            );
+        }
         self
     }
 
     /// asserts that the command resulted in a failure (non-zero) status code
     pub fn failure(&self) -> &CmdResult {
-        assert!(!self.success);
+        if self.success {
+            panic!(
+                "Command was expected to fail.\nstdout = {}\n stderr = {}",
+                self.stdout_str(),
+                self.stderr_str()
+            );
+        }
         self
     }
 
@@ -168,7 +185,12 @@ impl CmdResult {
     /// 1.  you can not know exactly what stdout will be or
     /// 2.  you know that stdout will also be empty
     pub fn no_stderr(&self) -> &CmdResult {
-        assert!(self.stderr.is_empty());
+        if !self.stderr.is_empty() {
+            panic!(
+                "Expected stderr to be empty, but it's:\n{}",
+                self.stderr_str()
+            );
+        }
         self
     }
 
@@ -179,7 +201,12 @@ impl CmdResult {
     /// 1.  you can not know exactly what stderr will be or
     /// 2.  you know that stderr will also be empty
     pub fn no_stdout(&self) -> &CmdResult {
-        assert!(self.stdout.is_empty());
+        if !self.stdout.is_empty() {
+            panic!(
+                "Expected stdout to be empty, but it's:\n{}",
+                self.stderr_str()
+            );
+        }
         self
     }
 
@@ -277,10 +304,34 @@ impl CmdResult {
         self
     }
 
-    pub fn stderr_contains<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, cmp: &T) -> &CmdResult {
+    pub fn stderr_contains<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, cmp: T) -> &CmdResult {
         assert!(self.stderr_str().contains(cmp.as_ref()));
         self
     }
+
+    pub fn stdout_does_not_contain<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, cmp: T) -> &CmdResult {
+        assert!(!self.stdout_str().contains(cmp.as_ref()));
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn stderr_does_not_contain<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, cmp: T) -> &CmdResult {
+        assert!(!self.stderr_str().contains(cmp.as_ref()));
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn stdout_matches(&self, regex: &regex::Regex) -> &CmdResult {
+        if !regex.is_match(self.stdout_str()) {
+            panic!("Stdout does not match regex:\n{}", self.stdout_str())
+        }
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn stdout_does_not_match(&self, regex: &regex::Regex) -> &CmdResult {
+        if regex.is_match(self.stdout_str()) {
+            panic!("Stdout matches regex:\n{}", self.stdout_str())
+        }
+        self
+    }
 }
 
 pub fn log_info<T: AsRef<str>, U: AsRef<str>>(msg: T, par: U) {
@@ -819,3 +870,211 @@ pub fn vec_of_size(n: usize) -> Vec<u8> {
     assert_eq!(result.len(), n);
     result
 }
+
+/// Sanity checks for test utils
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_code_is() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: Some(32),
+            success: false,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.code_is(32);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_code_is_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: Some(32),
+            success: false,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.code_is(1);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_failure() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: false,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.failure();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_failure_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.failure();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_success() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.success();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_success_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: false,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.success();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_no_std_errout() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+        res.no_stderr();
+        res.no_stdout();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_no_stderr_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "asdfsadfa".into(),
+        };
+
+        res.no_stderr();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_no_stdout_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "asdfsadfa".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+
+        res.no_stdout();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_std_does_not_contain() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+            stderr: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+        };
+        res.stdout_does_not_contain("unlikely");
+        res.stderr_does_not_contain("unlikely");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_stdout_does_not_contain_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+            stderr: "".into(),
+        };
+
+        res.stdout_does_not_contain("likely");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_stderr_does_not_contain_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "".into(),
+            stderr: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+        };
+
+        res.stderr_does_not_contain("likely");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_stdout_matches() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+            stderr: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+        };
+        let positive = regex::Regex::new(".*likely.*").unwrap();
+        let negative = regex::Regex::new(".*unlikely.*").unwrap();
+        res.stdout_matches(&positive);
+        res.stdout_does_not_match(&negative);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_stdout_matches_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+            stderr: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+        };
+        let negative = regex::Regex::new(".*unlikely.*").unwrap();
+
+        res.stdout_matches(&negative);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_stdout_not_matches_fail() {
+        let res = CmdResult {
+            tmpd: None,
+            code: None,
+            success: true,
+            stdout: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+            stderr: "This is a likely error message\n".into(),
+        };
+        let positive = regex::Regex::new(".*likely.*").unwrap();
+
+        res.stdout_does_not_match(&positive);
+    }
+}