diff --git a/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go b/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
index 906c83011..9cbce7c76 100644
--- a/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
+++ b/internal/archiver/archiver_test.go
@@ -1870,12 +1870,13 @@ func TestArchiverErrorReporting(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	var tests = []struct {
-		name      string
-		src       TestDir
-		want      TestDir
-		prepare   func(t testing.TB)
-		errFn     ErrorFunc
-		mustError bool
+		name    string
+		targets []string
+		src     TestDir
+		want    TestDir
+		prepare func(t testing.TB)
+		errFn   ErrorFunc
+		errStr  string
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "no-error",
@@ -1888,8 +1889,8 @@ func TestArchiverErrorReporting(t *testing.T) {
 			src: TestDir{
 				"targetfile": TestFile{Content: "foobar"},
 			},
-			prepare:   chmodUnreadable("targetfile"),
-			mustError: true,
+			prepare: chmodUnreadable("targetfile"),
+			errStr:  "open targetfile: permission denied",
 		},
 		{
 			name: "file-unreadable-ignore-error",
@@ -1910,8 +1911,8 @@ func TestArchiverErrorReporting(t *testing.T) {
 					"targetfile": TestFile{Content: "foobar"},
 				},
 			},
-			prepare:   chmodUnreadable("subdir/targetfile"),
-			mustError: true,
+			prepare: chmodUnreadable("subdir/targetfile"),
+			errStr:  "open subdir/targetfile: permission denied",
 		},
 		{
 			name: "file-subdir-unreadable-ignore-error",
@@ -1929,6 +1930,12 @@ func TestArchiverErrorReporting(t *testing.T) {
 			prepare: chmodUnreadable("subdir/targetfile"),
 			errFn:   ignoreErrorForBasename("targetfile"),
 		},
+		{
+			name:    "parent-dir-missing",
+			targets: []string{"subdir/missing"},
+			src:     TestDir{},
+			errStr:  "stat subdir: no such file or directory",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -1948,14 +1955,18 @@ func TestArchiverErrorReporting(t *testing.T) {
 			arch := New(repo, fs.Track{FS: fs.Local{}}, Options{})
 			arch.Error = test.errFn
 
-			_, snapshotID, _, err := arch.Snapshot(ctx, []string{"."}, SnapshotOptions{Time: time.Now()})
-			if test.mustError {
-				if err != nil {
+			target := test.targets
+			if len(target) == 0 {
+				target = []string{"."}
+			}
+			_, snapshotID, _, err := arch.Snapshot(ctx, target, SnapshotOptions{Time: time.Now()})
+			if test.errStr != "" {
+				if strings.Contains(err.Error(), test.errStr) {
 					t.Logf("found expected error (%v), skipping further checks", err)
 					return
 				}
 
-				t.Fatalf("expected error not returned by archiver")
+				t.Fatalf("expected error (%v) not returned by archiver, got (%v)", test.errStr, err)
 				return
 			}