diff --git a/common/sanity-check b/common/sanity-check
index 18d153dcb8bb4892da8deab2310899af9aa578bd..9c3164598aa8e2a882760334dbfb26f7b66d0a9b 100755
--- a/common/sanity-check
+++ b/common/sanity-check
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@
 
 set -e
 
+if [ "$(id -u)" != 0 ]; then
+    echo "This test must be run as root" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+pkglibdir="$(cd "$(dirname $0)/.." && pwd)"
+common="${pkglibdir}/common"
+
 failed=0
 
 fail () {
@@ -35,12 +43,12 @@ getent passwd root || fail getent-passwd-root
 getent passwd user || fail getent-passwd-user
 
 env || fail lava-env
-common/run-test-in-systemd --name=system-env common/sanity-check-env system || :
-common/run-test-in-systemd --name=user-env --user=user common/sanity-check-env user || :
+"$common/run-test-in-systemd" --name=system-env "$common/sanity-check-env" system || :
+"$common/run-test-in-systemd" --name=user-env --user=user "$common/sanity-check-env" user || :
 
 id || fail lava-id
-common/run-test-in-systemd --name=system-id id || :
-common/run-test-in-systemd --name=user-id --user=user id || :
+"$common/run-test-in-systemd" --name=system-id id || :
+"$common/run-test-in-systemd" --name=user-id --user=user id || :
 
 test -S /run/dbus/system_bus_socket || fail system-bus-is-up
 test -d /run/user/$(id -u user)/systemd || fail user-session-is-up
@@ -52,14 +60,17 @@ grep -E '^NAME=("?)Apertis\1$' /etc/os-release || fail os-release-name
 grep -E '^ID=("?)apertis\1$' /etc/os-release || fail os-release-id
 
 if ! test -S /run/user/$(id -u user)/wayland-0; then
-    common/run-test-in-systemd --user=user --name=x11-works -- xterm -e /bin/true
+    "$common/run-test-in-systemd" --user=user --name=x11-works -- xterm -e /bin/true
 fi
 
+set +x  # remaining commands run are uninteresting
+
 if test "x$failed" != "x0"; then
     echo "Failed, see above for details" >&2
     exit "$failed"
 fi
 
+echo "# Sanity check successful"
 exit 0
 
 # vim:set sw=4 sts=4 et: