diff --git a/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb b/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb
index 138fe44e3..3d088eebc 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/resource/file/symbolic_modes.rb
@@ -1,111 +1,115 @@
 test_name "file resource: symbolic modes"
 
 def validate(path, mode)
   "ruby -e 'exit (File::Stat.new(#{path.inspect}).mode & 0777 == #{mode})'"
 end
 
 def tmpfile(what)
   "/tmp/symbolic-mode-#{what}-" +
     "#{Time.now.strftime("%Y%m%d")}-#{$$}-" +
     "#{rand(0x100000000).to_s(36)}.test"
 end
 
 # Generate some standard, remote-safe names for our scratch content, and make
 # sure that they exist already.  Don't need to care about modes or owners, as
 # we reset anything that matters inside the test loop.
 file = tmpfile('file')
 dir  = tmpfile('dir')
 
 on agents, "touch #{file} ; mkdir #{dir}"
 
 # Infrastructure for a nice, table driven test.  Yum.
 #
 # For your reference:
 # 4000    the set-user-ID-on-execution bit
 # 2000    the set-group-ID-on-execution bit
 # 1000    the sticky bit
 # 0400    Allow read by owner.
 # 0200    Allow write by owner.
 # 0100    For files, allow execution by owner.  For directories, allow the
 #         owner to search in the directory.
 # 0040    Allow read by group members.
 # 0020    Allow write by group members.
 # 0010    For files, allow execution by group members.  For directories, allow
 #         group members to search in the directory.
 # 0004    Allow read by others.
 # 0002    Allow write by others.
 # 0001    For files, allow execution by others.  For directories allow others
 #         to search in the directory.
 #
 # fields are:  start_mode, symbolic_mode, file_mode, dir_mode
 # start_mode is passed to chmod on the target platform
 # symbolic_mode is the mode set in our test
 # the file and dir mode values are the numeric resultant values we should get
 tests = <<END
 0000   u=rwx     0700  0700
 0000   ug=rwx    0770  0770
 0000   ugo=rwx   0777  0777
 0000   u=r       0400  0400
 0000   u=w       0200  0200
 0000   u=x       0100  0100
 
 0500   u+w       0700  0700
 0400   u+w       0600  0600
 0200   u+r       0600  0600
 
 0100   u+X       0100  0100
 0200   u+X       0300  0300
 0400   u+X       0500  0500
 END
 
 tests.split("\n").map {|x| x.split(/\s+/)}.each do |data|
   # Might as well skip blank lines.
   next if data.empty? or data.any? {|x| x.nil? or x.empty? }
 
   # Make sure our interpretation of the data is reasonable.
   start_mode    = '%04o' % data[0].to_i(8)
   # inspect quotes the string in a way that is both shell, and manifest, safe;
   # since almost every use of it is in one of those places, this saves quite
   # some effort otherwise handling the value.
   symbolic_mode =          data[1].inspect
   file_mode     = '%04o' % data[2].to_i(8)
   dir_mode      = '%04o' % data[3].to_i(8)
 
   step "ensure permissions for testing #{symbolic_mode}"
   on agents, "chmod #{start_mode} #{file} && chown root:root #{file}"
   on agents, "chmod #{start_mode} #{dir}  && chown root:root #{dir}"
 
   step "test mode #{symbolic_mode} works on a file"
   manifest = "file { #{file.inspect}: ensure => file, mode => #{symbolic_mode} }"
   apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
-    assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{file_mode}'/, stdout,
-                 "couldn't set file mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+    unless start_mode == file_mode
+      assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{file_mode}'/, stdout,
+                   "couldn't set file mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+    end
   end
 
   step "validate the mode changes applied to the file"
   on agents, "test -f #{file} && " + validate(file, file_mode)
 
   # Validate that we don't reapply the changes - that they are stable.
   apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
     assert_no_match(/mode changed/, stdout, "reapplied the symbolic mode change")
   end
 
   step "test mode #{symbolic_mode} works on a directory"
   manifest = "file { #{dir.inspect}: ensure => directory, mode => #{symbolic_mode} }"
   apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
-    assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{dir_mode}'/, stdout,
-                 "couldn't set dir mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+    unless start_mode == dir_mode
+      assert_match(/mode changed '#{start_mode}' to '#{dir_mode}'/, stdout,
+                   "couldn't set dir mode to #{symbolic_mode}")
+    end
   end
 
   step "validate the mode changes applied to the dir"
   on agents, "test -d #{dir} && " + validate(file, dir_mode)
 
   # Validate that we don't reapply the changes - that they are stable.
   apply_manifest_on(agents, manifest) do
     assert_no_match(/mode changed/, stdout, "reapplied the symbolic mode change")
   end
 end
 
 
 step "clean up old test things"
 on agents, "rm -rf #{file} #{dir}"