diff --git a/tests/functional/cylc-remove/00-simple/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/cylc-remove/00-simple/flow.cylc
index 84c740ad421..e1c23857b8f 100644
--- a/tests/functional/cylc-remove/00-simple/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/cylc-remove/00-simple/flow.cylc
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
         script = false
     [[cleaner]]
         script = """
-cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/b/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
+cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/b/01.* failed'
 # Remove the unhandled failed task
 cylc remove "$CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID//1/b"
 # Remove waiting 1/c
diff --git a/tests/functional/cylc-remove/02-cycling/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/cylc-remove/02-cycling/flow.cylc
index 3b6c1051493..5371d577394 100644
--- a/tests/functional/cylc-remove/02-cycling/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/cylc-remove/02-cycling/flow.cylc
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 [runtime]
     [[remover]]
         script = """
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '2020/bar/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '2021/baz/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '2020/bar/01.* failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '2021/baz/01.* failed'
             # Remove the two unhandled failed tasks.
             cylc remove "$CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID//*/ba*:failed"
             # Remove the two unsatisfied waiting tasks.
diff --git a/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/02-filter-failed/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/02-filter-failed/flow.cylc
index 7416cf5790d..342f1449980 100644
--- a/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/02-filter-failed/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/02-filter-failed/flow.cylc
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@
     [[fixer]]
         script = """
             cylc__job__wait_cylc_message_started
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable1/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable2/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable3/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '\[1/fixable1/01:failed\] failed/ERR'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '\[1/fixable2/01:failed\] failed/ERR'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '\[1/fixable3/01:failed\] failed/ERR'
             cylc trigger "${CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID}//1/fixable*"
         """
     [[Z]]
diff --git a/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/04-filter-names/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/04-filter-names/flow.cylc
index 31839c1b77f..95caf5ddc4e 100644
--- a/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/04-filter-names/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/cylc-trigger/04-filter-names/flow.cylc
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@
     [[fixer]]
         script = """
             cylc__job__wait_cylc_message_started
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-1a/01.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-1b/01.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-2a/01.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-2b/01.* \(received\)failed'
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-3/01.* \(received\)failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-1a/01.* failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-1b/01.* failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-2a/01.* failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-2b/01.* failed'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/fixable-3/01.* failed'
             cylc trigger "${CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID}//" \
                 '//1/FIXABLE-1' '//1/fixable-2*' '//1/fixable-3'
         """
diff --git a/tests/functional/hold-release/11-retrying/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/hold-release/11-retrying/flow.cylc
index 0e08699af09..0d747c4c798 100644
--- a/tests/functional/hold-release/11-retrying/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/hold-release/11-retrying/flow.cylc
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ t-retry-able => t-analyse
     [[t-hold-release]]
         script = """
             cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E \
-                '1/t-retry-able/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
+                '1/t-retry-able/01.*failed'
 
             cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E \
                 '1/t-retry-able/01:running.* => waiting'
diff --git a/tests/functional/reload/10-runahead.t b/tests/functional/reload/10-runahead.t
index d591997f68b..fa93be9891a 100644
--- a/tests/functional/reload/10-runahead.t
+++ b/tests/functional/reload/10-runahead.t
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ run_fail "${TEST_NAME}" cylc play --debug --no-detach "${WORKFLOW_NAME}"
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 TEST_NAME=${TEST_NAME_BASE}-check-fail
 DB_FILE="$RUN_DIR/${WORKFLOW_NAME}/log/db"
-QUERY='SELECT COUNT(*) FROM task_states WHERE status == "failed"'
+QUERY="SELECT COUNT(*) FROM task_states WHERE status == 'failed'"
 cmp_ok <(sqlite3 "$DB_FILE" "$QUERY") <<< "4"
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 purge
diff --git a/tests/functional/reload/25-xtriggers.t b/tests/functional/reload/25-xtriggers.t
index 0269a2e3775..db37d26c793 100644
--- a/tests/functional/reload/25-xtriggers.t
+++ b/tests/functional/reload/25-xtriggers.t
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ init_workflow "${TEST_NAME_BASE}" <<'__FLOW_CONFIG__'
     [[reload]]
         script = """
             # wait for "broken" to fail
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/broken/01.* \(received\)failed/ERR'
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/broken/01.* failed/ERR'
             # fix "broken" to allow it to pass
             sed -i 's/false/true/' "${CYLC_WORKFLOW_RUN_DIR}/flow.cylc"
             # reload the workflow
diff --git a/tests/functional/reload/runahead/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/reload/runahead/flow.cylc
index c65b5e11d6d..b1fd8646bf3 100644
--- a/tests/functional/reload/runahead/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/reload/runahead/flow.cylc
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
         script = true
     [[reloader]]
         script = """
-            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E "${CYLC_TASK_CYCLE_POINT}/foo/01:running.*\(received\)failed"
+            cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E "${CYLC_TASK_CYCLE_POINT}/foo/01:running.*failed"
             perl -pi -e 's/(runahead limit = )P1( # marker)/\1 P3\2/' $CYLC_WORKFLOW_RUN_DIR/flow.cylc
             cylc reload $CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID
         """
diff --git a/tests/functional/spawn-on-demand/10-retrigger/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/spawn-on-demand/10-retrigger/flow.cylc
index 7e9149ce3c9..38e9aafaeee 100644
--- a/tests/functional/spawn-on-demand/10-retrigger/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/spawn-on-demand/10-retrigger/flow.cylc
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
       """
    [[triggerer]]
       script = """
-         cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/oops/01:running.* \(received\)failed'
+         cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/oops/01.* failed'
          cylc trigger "${CYLC_WORKFLOW_ID}//1/oops"
        """
    [[foo, bar]]
diff --git a/tests/functional/triggering/19-and-suicide/flow.cylc b/tests/functional/triggering/19-and-suicide/flow.cylc
index 670c361fc96..063360022a5 100644
--- a/tests/functional/triggering/19-and-suicide/flow.cylc
+++ b/tests/functional/triggering/19-and-suicide/flow.cylc
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     [[t0]]
         # https://github.com/cylc/cylc-flow/issues/2655
         # "1/t2" should not suicide on "1/t1:failed"
-        script = cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/t1.* \(received\)failed'
+        script = cylc__job__poll_grep_workflow_log -E '1/t1.* failed'
     [[t1]]
         script = false
     [[t2]]