diff --git a/tests/tail-2/inotify-dir-recreate.sh b/tests/tail-2/inotify-dir-recreate.sh
index 469876b98..5d629d8cd 100755
--- a/tests/tail-2/inotify-dir-recreate.sh
+++ b/tests/tail-2/inotify-dir-recreate.sh
@@ -25,7 +25,12 @@ grep '^#define HAVE_INOTIFY 1' "$CONFIG_HEADER" >/dev/null && is_local_dir_ . \
   || skip_ 'inotify is not supported'
 
 # Terminate any background tail process
-cleanup_() { kill $pid 2>/dev/null && wait $pid; }
+cleanup_() {
+  kill $pid 2>/dev/null \
+    || return
+  wait $pid
+  echo "wait status (PID=$pid): $?"
+}
 
 cleanup_fail_ ()
 {
@@ -39,7 +44,7 @@ cleanup_fail_ ()
 check_tail_output_ ()
 {
   local delay="$1"
-  grep $check_re $check_f > /dev/null ||
+  grep $check_re $check_f ||
     { sleep $delay ; return 1; }
 }
 
@@ -54,7 +59,8 @@ grep_timeout_ ()
 mkdir dir && echo 'inotify' > dir/file || framework_failure_
 
 #tail must print content of the file to stdout, verify
-timeout 60 tail --pid=$$ -F dir/file >out 2>&1 & pid=$!
+timeout 60 \
+  tail --pid=$$ -F -s1 --max-unchanged-stats=2 dir/file >out 2>&1 & pid=$!
 grep_timeout_ 'inotify' 'out' ||
 { cleanup_fail_ 'file to be tailed does not exist'; }