diff --git a/tests/boot-smoke.py b/tests/boot-smoke.py
index 77b81c04..605f0902 100644
--- a/tests/boot-smoke.py
+++ b/tests/boot-smoke.py
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@
 # A first boot runs firstboot credential setup and mounts the sysext, so allow a generous window.
 BOOT_TIMEOUT = float(os.environ.get("SMOKE_BOOT_TIMEOUT", "300"))
 STEP_TIMEOUT = float(os.environ.get("SMOKE_STEP_TIMEOUT", "30"))
+# The autologin shell does not mean the boot finished: getty only waits for
+# systemd-user-sessions.service, so other startup jobs can still be running.
+SETTLE_TIMEOUT = float(os.environ.get("SMOKE_SETTLE_TIMEOUT", "120"))
 POWEROFF_TIMEOUT = float(os.environ.get("SMOKE_POWEROFF_TIMEOUT", "90"))
 
 # `systemctl is-system-running` is degraded today (a known bug); accept it until the boot is clean.
@@ -43,7 +46,8 @@
 # Sentinels the guest echoes back; the bracketed value only appears in printf's output, never in the
 # echoed command line, so matching it can't trip over the command itself.
 READY = re.compile(rb"TINE_READY\[ok\]")
-STATE = re.compile(rb"SMOKE_STATE\[([a-z-]+)\]")
+# Empty when the state query timed out.
+STATE = re.compile(rb"SMOKE_STATE\[([a-z-]*)\]")
 # A failed --check command's base64-encoded output: the marker carries arbitrary multi-line text on
 # a single line, and base64's alphabet excludes '%', so the echoed printf (literal SMOKE_OUTPUT[%s])
 # cannot match ahead of the real output.
@@ -123,6 +127,13 @@ def drain_terminal() -> None:
         pass
 
 
+def guest_output(console: Console) -> str:
+    """Return the output that the last guest command wrote to /tmp/smoke."""
+    console.send("printf 'SMOKE_OUTPUT[%s]\\n' \"$(base64 -w0 </tmp/smoke)\"")
+    output = console.expect(OUTPUT, STEP_TIMEOUT)
+    return base64.b64decode(output.group(1)).decode(errors="replace") if output else ""
+
+
 def fail(console: Console, message: str) -> NoReturn:
     print(f"\n[boot-smoke] FAIL: {message}", file=sys.stderr)
     console.close()
@@ -158,15 +169,22 @@ def main(argv: list[str]) -> None:
     # Capture the state via a bracketed token so the echoed command (which contains "running") can't
     # match. Redirect the query so only our printf reaches the console.
     console.send(
-        "systemctl is-system-running >/tmp/smoke 2>&1; printf 'SMOKE_STATE[%s]\\n' \"$(cat /tmp/smoke)\""
+        f"timeout {SETTLE_TIMEOUT:g} systemctl is-system-running --wait >/tmp/smoke 2>&1; "
+        "printf 'SMOKE_STATE[%s]\\n' \"$(cat /tmp/smoke)\""
     )
-    match = console.expect(STATE, STEP_TIMEOUT)
+    match = console.expect(STATE, SETTLE_TIMEOUT + STEP_TIMEOUT)
     if match is None:
         fail(console, "system state query produced no result")
     state = match.group(1).decode()
     print(f"\n[boot-smoke] system state: {state}", file=sys.stderr)
     if state not in ACCEPT:
-        fail(console, f"unacceptable system state {state!r} (accepting {sorted(ACCEPT)})")
+        console.send("systemctl list-jobs --no-pager >/tmp/smoke 2>&1")
+        problem = (
+            f"unacceptable system state {state!r}"
+            if state
+            else f"boot not finished after {SETTLE_TIMEOUT:g}s"
+        )
+        fail(console, f"{problem} (accepting {sorted(ACCEPT)})\n{guest_output(console)}")
 
     # Each sentinel carries its index: expect() matches against everything seen so far, so a
     # repeated bare marker would re-match an earlier check's result.
@@ -177,10 +195,7 @@ def main(argv: list[str]) -> None:
             fail(console, f"check produced no result: {command}")
         status = match.group(1).decode()
         if status != "0":
-            console.send("printf 'SMOKE_OUTPUT[%s]\\n' \"$(base64 -w0 </tmp/smoke)\"")
-            output = console.expect(OUTPUT, STEP_TIMEOUT)
-            captured = base64.b64decode(output.group(1)).decode(errors="replace") if output else ""
-            fail(console, f"check exited {status}: {command}\n{captured}")
+            fail(console, f"check exited {status}: {command}\n{guest_output(console)}")
         print(f"[boot-smoke] check passed: {command}", file=sys.stderr)
 
     print("[boot-smoke] powering off...", file=sys.stderr)