diff --git a/pkg/tests/tfcheck/exec.go b/pkg/tests/tfcheck/exec.go
index e455e16e6..ec71ee829 100644
--- a/pkg/tests/tfcheck/exec.go
+++ b/pkg/tests/tfcheck/exec.go
@@ -18,22 +18,32 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-terraform-bridge/v3/pkg/tests/pulcheck"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
+func (d *TfDriver) execTf(t pulcheck.T, args ...string) ([]byte, error) {
+	cmd, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, []string{d.formatReattachEnvVar()}, getTFCommand(), args...)
+	if stderr := cmd.Stderr.(*bytes.Buffer).String(); len(stderr) > 0 {
+		t.Logf("%q stderr:\n%s\n", cmd.String(), stderr)
+	}
+	return cmd.Stdout.(*bytes.Buffer).Bytes(), err
+}
+
 func execCmd(t pulcheck.T, wdir string, environ []string, program string, args ...string) (*exec.Cmd, error) {
-	t.Logf("%s %s", program, strings.Join(args, " "))
 	cmd := exec.Command(program, args...)
+	require.NoError(t, cmd.Err)
 	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
-	cmd.Dir = wdir
-	cmd.Env = os.Environ()
-	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, environ...)
 	cmd.Stdout = &stdout
 	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
+	cmd.Dir = wdir
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), environ...)
+	t.Logf("%s", cmd.String())
 	err := cmd.Run()
-	t.Logf("error from `%s %s`\n\nStdout:\n%s\n\nStderr:\n%s\n\n",
-		program, strings.Join(args, " "), stdout.String(), stderr.String())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Logf("error from %q\n\nStdout:\n%s\n\nStderr:\n%s\n\n",
+			cmd.String(), stdout.String(), stderr.String())
+	}
 	return cmd, err
 }
diff --git a/pkg/tests/tfcheck/tfcheck.go b/pkg/tests/tfcheck/tfcheck.go
index bc4dd8104..90d553ab2 100644
--- a/pkg/tests/tfcheck/tfcheck.go
+++ b/pkg/tests/tfcheck/tfcheck.go
@@ -122,38 +122,31 @@ func (d *TfDriver) Write(t pulcheck.T, program string) {
 
 func (d *TfDriver) Plan(t pulcheck.T) (*TfPlan, error) {
 	planFile := filepath.Join(d.cwd, "test.tfplan")
-	env := []string{d.formatReattachEnvVar()}
-	tfCmd := getTFCommand()
-	cm, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, env, tfCmd, "plan", "-refresh=false", "-out", planFile, "-no-color")
+	planStdoutBytes, err := d.execTf(t, "plan", "-refresh=false", "-out", planFile, "-no-color")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	planStdout := cm.Stdout.(*bytes.Buffer).String()
-	planStdout = strings.Split(planStdout, "───")[0] // trim unstable output about the plan file
-	cmd, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, env, tfCmd, "show", "-json", planFile)
+	planStdout := strings.Split(string(planStdoutBytes), "───")[0] // trim unstable output about the plan file
+	stdout, err := d.execTf(t, "show", "-json", planFile)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	tp := TfPlan{PlanFile: planFile, StdOut: planStdout}
-	err = json.Unmarshal(cmd.Stdout.(*bytes.Buffer).Bytes(), &tp.RawPlan)
+	err = json.Unmarshal(stdout, &tp.RawPlan)
 	require.NoErrorf(t, err, "failed to unmarshal terraform plan")
 	return &tp, nil
 }
 
 func (d *TfDriver) Apply(t pulcheck.T, plan *TfPlan) error {
-	tfCmd := getTFCommand()
-	_, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, []string{d.formatReattachEnvVar()},
-		tfCmd, "apply", "-auto-approve", "-refresh=false", plan.PlanFile)
+	_, err := d.execTf(t, "apply", "-auto-approve", "-refresh=false", plan.PlanFile)
 	return err
 }
 
 func (d *TfDriver) Show(t pulcheck.T, planFile string) string {
-	tfCmd := getTFCommand()
-	cmd, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, []string{d.formatReattachEnvVar()}, tfCmd, "show", "-json", planFile)
+	res, err := d.execTf(t, "show", "-json", planFile)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	res := cmd.Stdout.(*bytes.Buffer)
-	buf := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
-	err = json.Indent(buf, res.Bytes(), "", "    ")
+	var dst bytes.Buffer
+	err = json.Indent(&dst, res, "", "    ")
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	return buf.String()
+	return dst.String()
 }
 
 func (d *TfDriver) GetState(t pulcheck.T) string {
@@ -166,11 +159,9 @@ func (d *TfDriver) GetState(t pulcheck.T) string {
 }
 
 func (d *TfDriver) GetOutput(t pulcheck.T, outputName string) string {
-	tfCmd := getTFCommand()
-	cmd, err := execCmd(t, d.cwd, []string{d.formatReattachEnvVar()}, tfCmd, "output", outputName)
+	resB, err := d.execTf(t, "output", outputName)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	res := cmd.Stdout.(*bytes.Buffer).String()
-	res = strings.TrimSuffix(res, "\n")
+	res := strings.TrimSuffix(string(resB), "\n")
 	res = strings.Trim(res, "\"")
 	return res
 }