diff --git a/tests/lib/rest.sh b/tests/lib/rest.sh
index 0e16e93b..b4d3eed6 100644
--- a/tests/lib/rest.sh
+++ b/tests/lib/rest.sh
@@ -106,11 +106,15 @@ rest_urlencoded() {
 		fi
 	fi
 	if [ $REST_HTTP_CODE -lt 200 -o $REST_HTTP_CODE -ge 300 ]; then
-		REST_ERROR="REST status $REST_HTTP_CODE: $REST_OUTPUT"
+        if [ -z "$REST_OUTPUT" ]; then
+            REST_ERROR="Server returned status $REST_HTTP_CODE"
+        else
+            REST_ERROR="Server returned status $REST_HTTP_CODE: $REST_OUTPUT"
+        fi
 		echo "${F_DANGER}$REST_ERROR${F_RESET}" 1>&2
         if $is_local && [ $REST_HTTP_CODE -ge 500 ]; then
             echo -n "$F_WARN"
-            tail -100 /var/log/syslog
+            tail -100 /var/log/syslog | grep -i "(traceback|err|warn|fail|fatal|uncaught)" 1>&2
             echo -n "$F_RESET"
         fi
 		return 2
diff --git a/tests/suites/_mail-functions.sh b/tests/suites/_mail-functions.sh
index 85336e95..e351e67b 100644
--- a/tests/suites/_mail-functions.sh
+++ b/tests/suites/_mail-functions.sh
@@ -96,24 +96,24 @@ start_mail_capture() {
 dump_capture_logs() {
 	# dump log files
 	record "[capture log dump]"
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= SYSLOG ================"
+	record ""
+	record "============= SYSLOG ================"
 	tail --lines=+$SYS_LOG_LINECOUNT /var/log/syslog 2>>$TEST_OF
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= SLAPD ================="
+	record ""
+	record "============= SLAPD ================="
 	tail --lines=+$SLAPD_LOG_LINECOUNT /var/log/ldap/slapd.log 2>>$TEST_OF
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= MAIL.ERR =============="
+	record ""
+	record "============= MAIL.ERR =============="
 	tail --lines=+$MAIL_ERRLOG_LINECOUNT /var/log/mail.err 2>>$TEST_OF
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= MAIL.LOG =============="
+	record ""
+	record "============= MAIL.LOG =============="
 	tail --lines=+$MAIL_LOG_LINECOUNT /var/log/mail.log 2>>$TEST_OF
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= DOVECOT ERRORS =============="
+	record ""
+	record "============= DOVECOT ERRORS =============="
 	doveadm log errors | tail --lines=+$DOVECOT_LOG_LINECOUNT 2>>$TEST_OF
-	echo ""
-	echo "============= Z-PUSH LOG =============="
-	tail --lines=+$ZPUSH_LOG_LINECOUND /var/log/z-push/z-push.log 2>>TEST_OF
+	record ""
+	record "============= Z-PUSH LOG =============="
+	tail --lines=+$ZPUSH_LOG_LINECOUND /var/log/z-push/z-push.log 2>>$TEST_OF
 }
 
 detect_syslog_error() {
diff --git a/tests/suites/z-push.sh b/tests/suites/z-push.sh
index 2ae00023..8c9057b0 100644
--- a/tests/suites/z-push.sh
+++ b/tests/suites/z-push.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ test_zpush_logon() {
     start_log_capture
     rest_urlencoded POST "/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync?Cmd=Ping&DeviceId=$devid&DeviceType=$devtype" "$alice" "$alice_pw" 2>>$TEST_OF
     if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-        test_failure "$REST_ERROR"
+        test_failure "Error in REST call to z-push: $REST_ERROR"
     fi
     record "$REST_OUTPUT"
     
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ test_zpush_logon() {
         local count
         let count="$ZPUSH_LOG_LINECOUNT + 1"
         local matches
-        matches=( $(tail --lines=+$count /var/log/z-push/z-push.log 2>>$TEST_OF | grep -F -- "->Logon(" 2>>$TEST_OF | sed -E "s/^.* (.*)->Logon\\(.*$/\\1/" 2>>%TEST_OF | sort | uniq) )
+        matches=( $(tail --lines=+$count /var/log/z-push/z-push.log 2>>$TEST_OF | grep -F -- "->Logon(" 2>>$TEST_OF | sed -E "s/^.* (.*)->Logon\\(.*$/\\1/" 2>>$TEST_OF | sort | uniq) )
         record "found successful logons for backends: ${matches[*]}"
         if [ "${matches[*]}" != "$expected_backends" ]
         then