diff --git a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.common b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.common
index 4f6066e468..fd8647a8e4 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.common
+++ b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.common
@@ -496,6 +496,13 @@ _search_log() (
 	nextpart "$file" | grep -F -e "$msg" > /dev/null
 )
 
+# _search_log_re: same as _search_log but the message is an egrep regex
+_search_log_re() (
+	msg="$1"
+	file="$2"
+	nextpart "$file" | grep -E -e "$msg" > /dev/null
+)
+
 # _search_log_peek: look for message $1 in file $2 with nextpartpeek().
 _search_log_peek() (
 	msg="$1"
@@ -513,7 +520,17 @@ wait_for_log() (
 	msg="$2"
 	file="$3"
 	retry_quiet "$timeout" _search_log "$msg" "$file" && return 0
-	echo_i "exceeded time limit waiting for '$msg' in $file"
+	echo_i "exceeded time limit waiting for literal '$msg' in $file"
+        return 1
+)
+
+# wait_for_log_re: same as wait_for_log, but the message is an egrep regex
+wait_for_log_re() (
+	timeout="$1"
+	msg="$2"
+	file="$3"
+	retry_quiet "$timeout" _search_log_re "$msg" "$file" && return 0
+	echo_i "exceeded time limit waiting for regex '$msg' in $file"
         return 1
 )
 
@@ -524,7 +541,7 @@ wait_for_log_peek() (
 	msg="$2"
 	file="$3"
 	retry_quiet "$timeout" _search_log_peek "$msg" "$file" && return 0
-	echo_i "exceeded time limit waiting for '$msg' in $file"
+	echo_i "exceeded time limit waiting for literal '$msg' in $file"
         return 1
 )
 
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/notify/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/notify/tests.sh
index 52d2f81a5b..04fd34b47f 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/notify/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/notify/tests.sh
@@ -105,15 +105,7 @@ rm -f ns2/example.db
 cp -f ns2/example2.db ns2/example.db
 echo_i "reloading with example2 using HUP and waiting up to 45 seconds"
 kill -HUP "$(cat ns2/named.pid)"
-
-try=0
-while [ $try -lt 45 ]
-do
-    nextpart ns3/named.run > tmp
-    grep "transfer of 'example/IN' from 10.53.0.2#.*success" tmp > /dev/null && break
-    sleep 1
-    try=$((try + 1))
-done
+wait_for_log_re 45 "transfer of 'example/IN' from 10.53.0.2#.*success" ns3/named.run
 
 test_start "checking notify message was logged"
 grep 'notify from 10.53.0.2#[0-9][0-9]*: serial 2$' ns3/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
@@ -143,7 +135,7 @@ rm -f ns2/example.db
 cp -f ns2/example4.db ns2/example.db
 
 start_server --noclean --restart --port "${PORT}" notify ns2
-wait_for_log 45 "transfer of 'example/IN' from 10.53.0.2#.*success" ns3/named.run
+wait_for_log_re 45 "transfer of 'example/IN' from 10.53.0.2#.*success" ns3/named.run
 
 test_start "checking notify message was logged"
 grep 'notify from 10.53.0.2#[0-9][0-9]*: serial 4$' ns3/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
@@ -208,10 +200,14 @@ grep "test string" "$fnb" > /dev/null || ret=1
 grep "test string" "$fnc" > /dev/null || ret=1
 grep "sending notify to 10.53.0.5#[0-9]* : TSIG (b)" ns5/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
 grep "sending notify to 10.53.0.5#[0-9]* : TSIG (c)" ns5/named.run > /dev/null || ret=1
-
 test_end
 
+# notify messages were sent to unresponsive 10.53.10.53 during the tests
+# above, which should time out at some point; we need to wait for them to
+# appear in the logs in case the tests run faster than the notify timeouts
+
 test_start "checking notify retries expire within 45 seconds ($n)"
+nextpartreset ns3/named.run
 wait_for_log 45 'retries exceeded' ns3/named.run || ret=1
 test_end