diff --git a/tests/mastodon-garage.nix b/tests/mastodon-garage.nix
index c423f861..ed59b75d 100644
--- a/tests/mastodon-garage.nix
+++ b/tests/mastodon-garage.nix
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ rebuildableTest {
     with subtest("Account creation"):
       account_creation_output = server.succeed("mastodon-tootctl accounts create test --email test@test.com --confirmed --approve")
       password_match = re.match('.*New password: ([^\n]*).*', account_creation_output, re.S)
-      assert password_match is not None
+      if password_match is None:
+        raise Exception(f"account creation did not generate a password.\n{account_creation_output}")
       password = password_match.group(1)
 
     with subtest("TTY Login"):
@@ -105,26 +106,32 @@ rebuildableTest {
     with subtest("access image in garage"):
       image = server.succeed("mc find garage --regex original")
       image = image.rstrip()
-      assert image != ""
+      if image == "":
+        raise Exception("image posted to mastodon did not get stored in garage")
       server.succeed(f"mc cat {image} >/garage-image.webp")
       garage_image_hash = server.succeed("identify -quiet -format '%#' /garage-image.webp")
       image_hash = server.succeed("identify -quiet -format '%#' $POST_MEDIA")
-      assert garage_image_hash == image_hash
+      if garage_image_hash != image_hash:
+        raise Exception("image stored in garage did not match image uploaded")
 
     with subtest("Content security policy allows garage images"):
       headers = server.succeed("xh -h http://masstodon.localhost:55001/public/local")
       csp_match = re.match('^Content-Security-Policy: (.*)$', headers, re.M)
-      assert csp_match is not None
+      if csp_match is None:
+        raise Exception("mastodon did not send a content security policy header")
       csp = csp_match.group(1)
       # the content security policy should include the garage server
       garage_csp = re.match(".*web\.garage\.localhost:3902.*", csp)
-      assert garage_csp is not None
+      if garage_csp is None:
+        raise Exception("Mastodon's content security policy does not include garage server. image will not be displayed properly on mastodon.")
 
     with subtest("image displays"):
       server.succeed("selenium-script")
       server.copy_from_vm("/mastodon-screenshot.png", "")
       displayed_colors = server.succeed("convert /mastodon-screenshot.png -define histogram:unique-colors=true -format %c histogram:info:")
       # check that the green image displayed somewhere
-      re.match(".*#00FF00.*", displayed_colors, re.S)
+      green_check = re.match(".*#00FF00.*", displayed_colors, re.S)
+      if green_check is None:
+        raise Exception("cannot detect the uploaded image on mastodon page.")
   '';
 }