diff --git a/t/t9400-git-cvsserver-server.sh b/t/t9400-git-cvsserver-server.sh
index c30660d6062..06742748e99 100755
--- a/t/t9400-git-cvsserver-server.sh
+++ b/t/t9400-git-cvsserver-server.sh
@@ -447,12 +447,10 @@ test_expect_success 'cvs update (-p)' '
     git push gitcvs.git >/dev/null &&
     cd cvswork &&
     GIT_CONFIG="$git_config" cvs update &&
-    rm -f failures &&
     for i in merge no-lf empty really-empty; do
-        GIT_CONFIG="$git_config" cvs update -p "$i" >$i.out
-	test_cmp $i.out ../$i >>failures 2>&1
-    done &&
-    test -z "$(cat failures)"
+	GIT_CONFIG="$git_config" cvs update -p "$i" >$i.out &&
+	test_cmp $i.out ../$i || return 1
+    done
 '
 
 cd "$WORKDIR"
diff --git a/t/t9402-git-cvsserver-refs.sh b/t/t9402-git-cvsserver-refs.sh
index 6d2d3c8739c..cf31ace6676 100755
--- a/t/t9402-git-cvsserver-refs.sh
+++ b/t/t9402-git-cvsserver-refs.sh
@@ -455,20 +455,20 @@ test_expect_success 'cvs up -r $(git rev-parse v1)' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'cvs diff -r v1 -u' '
-	( cd cvswork && cvs -f diff -r v1 -u ) >cvsDiff.out 2>cvs.log &&
+	( cd cvswork && cvs -f diff -r v1 -u >../cvsDiff.out 2>../cvs.log ) &&
 	test_must_be_empty cvsDiff.out &&
 	test_must_be_empty cvs.log
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'cvs diff -N -r v2 -u' '
-	( cd cvswork && ! cvs -f diff -N -r v2 -u ) >cvsDiff.out 2>cvs.log &&
+	( cd cvswork && ! cvs -f diff -N -r v2 -u >../cvsDiff.out 2>../cvs.log ) &&
 	test_must_be_empty cvs.log &&
 	test -s cvsDiff.out &&
 	check_diff cvsDiff.out v2 v1 >check_diff.out 2>&1
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'cvs diff -N -r v2 -r v1.2' '
-	( cd cvswork && ! cvs -f diff -N -r v2 -r v1.2 -u ) >cvsDiff.out 2>cvs.log &&
+	( cd cvswork && ! cvs -f diff -N -r v2 -r v1.2 -u >../cvsDiff.out 2>../cvs.log ) &&
 	test_must_be_empty cvs.log &&
 	test -s cvsDiff.out &&
 	check_diff cvsDiff.out v2 v1.2 >check_diff.out 2>&1
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ test_expect_success 'apply early [cvswork3] diff to b3' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'check [cvswork3] diff' '
-	( cd cvswork3 && ! cvs -f diff -N -u ) >"$WORKDIR/cvsDiff.out" 2>cvs.log &&
+	( cd cvswork3 && ! cvs -f diff -N -u >"$WORKDIR/cvsDiff.out" 2>../cvs.log ) &&
 	test_must_be_empty cvs.log &&
 	test -s cvsDiff.out &&
 	test $(grep Index: cvsDiff.out | wc -l) = 3 &&