The .trs tag :global-test-result: should be :test-global-result:. 15.3.3.2 Log files generation and test results recording :test-global-result: This is used to declare the "global result" of the script. Currently, the value of this field is needed only to be reported (more or less verbatim) in the generated global log file $(TEST_SUITE_LOG), so it's quite free-form. For example, a test script which run 10 test cases, 6 of which pass and 4 of which are skipped, could reasonably have a PASS/SKIP value for this field, while a test script which run 19 successful tests and one failed test could have an ALMOST PASSED value. What happens when two or more :test-global-result: fields are present in the same .trs file is undefined behaviour. XPASS: test2.tap 1 XFAIL: test2.tap 2 make[4]: Entering directory =============================== Testsuite summary for test 0.5 =============================== # TOTAL: 2 # PASS: 0 # SKIP: 0 # XFAIL: 1 # FAIL: 0 # XPASS: 1 # ERROR: 0 =========================== See src/test-suite.log =========================== ======= .trf ======= :global-test-result: FAIL :recheck: yes :copy-in-global-log: yes :test-result: XPASS :test-result: XFAIL The failure of the past is the challenge of the present and the success of the future.