diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index ceca606..8707fe7 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 	lib/libzebra.exp \
 	global-conf.exp \
 	testcommands.in \
-	testcommands.out
+	testcommands.refout
 
 INCLUDES = @INCLUDES@ -I.. -I$(top_srcdir) -I$(top_srcdir)/lib -I$(top_builddir)/lib
 DEFS = @DEFS@ $(LOCAL_OPTS) -DSYSCONFDIR=\"$(sysconfdir)/\"
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 		< ../vtysh/vtysh_cmd.c \
 		> test-commands-defun.c
 
+BUILT_SOURCES = test-commands-defun.c
 noinst_HEADERS = prng.h
 
 testsig_SOURCES = test-sig.c
diff --git a/tests/libzebra.tests/testcommands.exp b/tests/libzebra.tests/testcommands.exp
index f760c6d..d4bfc82 100644
--- a/tests/libzebra.tests/testcommands.exp
+++ b/tests/libzebra.tests/testcommands.exp
@@ -1,7 +1,15 @@
 set timeout 30
 set test_name "testcommands"
 
-spawn sh -c "./testcommands -e 0 < testcommands.in | diff -au - testcommands.out"
+if {![info exists env(QUAGGA_TEST_COMMANDS)]} {
+	# sadly, the test randomly fails when configure parameters differ from
+	# what was used to create testcommands.refout.  this can be fixed by
+	# shipping a matching vtysh_cmd.c, which we'll add after 0.99.23
+	unresolved "$test_name"
+	exit 0
+}
+
+spawn sh -c "./testcommands -e 0 < $env(srcdir)/testcommands.in | diff -au - $env(srcdir)/testcommands.refout"
 
 expect {
 	eof {
diff --git a/tests/testcommands.out b/tests/testcommands.refout
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/testcommands.out
rename to tests/testcommands.refout