diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/x86/protection_keys.c b/tools/testing/selftests/x86/protection_keys.c
index bbe80a5c31c7f3ca281bb4c1084653b8c5695639..a0f0a732784bc7d6ea71926bf0338dc0ebbe7888 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/x86/protection_keys.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/x86/protection_keys.c
@@ -954,10 +954,11 @@ void expected_pk_fault(int pkey)
 	last_si_pkey = -1;
 }
 
-void do_not_expect_pk_fault(void)
-{
-	pkey_assert(last_pkru_faults == pkru_faults);
-}
+#define do_not_expect_pk_fault(msg)	do {			\
+	if (last_pkru_faults != pkru_faults)			\
+		dprintf0("unexpected PK fault: %s\n", msg);	\
+	pkey_assert(last_pkru_faults == pkru_faults);		\
+} while (0)
 
 int test_fds[10] = { -1 };
 int nr_test_fds;
@@ -1243,7 +1244,7 @@ void test_ptrace_of_child(int *ptr, u16 pkey)
 	pkey_assert(ret != -1);
 	/* Now access from the current task, and expect NO exception: */
 	peek_result = read_ptr(plain_ptr);
-	do_not_expect_pk_fault();
+	do_not_expect_pk_fault("read plain pointer after ptrace");
 
 	ret = ptrace(PTRACE_DETACH, child_pid, ignored, 0);
 	pkey_assert(ret != -1);
@@ -1287,7 +1288,7 @@ void test_executing_on_unreadable_memory(int *ptr, u16 pkey)
 	 */
 	madvise(p1, PAGE_SIZE, MADV_DONTNEED);
 	lots_o_noops_around_write(&scratch);
-	do_not_expect_pk_fault();
+	do_not_expect_pk_fault("executing on PROT_EXEC memory");
 	ptr_contents = read_ptr(p1);
 	dprintf2("ptr (%p) contents@%d: %x\n", p1, __LINE__, ptr_contents);
 	expected_pk_fault(pkey);