diff --git a/spread/client.go b/spread/client.go
index 8f5d1ab6..b37e6d2b 100644
--- a/spread/client.go
+++ b/spread/client.go
@@ -785,10 +785,10 @@ func (s *localScript) run() (stdout, stderr []byte, err error) {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	buf.WriteString("set -eu\n")
 	buf.WriteString("ADDRESS() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; [ -z \"$1\" ] && echo '<ADDRESS>' || echo \"<ADDRESS $1>\"; }\n")
-	buf.WriteString("FATAL() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; [ -z \"$1\" ] && echo '<FATAL>' || echo \"<FATAL $@>\"; exit 213; }\n")
-	buf.WriteString("ERROR() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; [ -z \"$1\" ] && echo '<ERROR>' || echo \"<ERROR $@>\"; exit 213; }\n")
-	buf.WriteString("MATCH() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; local stdin=$(cat); echo $stdin | grep -q -E \"$@\" || { echo \"error: pattern not found on stdin:\\n$stdin\">&2; return 1; }; }\n")
-	buf.WriteString("NOMATCH() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; local stdin=$(cat); if echo $stdin | grep -q -E \"$@\"; then echo \"NOMATCH pattern='$@' found in:\n$stdin\">&2; return 1; fi }\n")
+	buf.WriteString("FATAL() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; [ -z \"$1\" ] && echo '<FATAL>' || echo \"<FATAL $*>\"; exit 213; }\n")
+	buf.WriteString("ERROR() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; [ -z \"$1\" ] && echo '<ERROR>' || echo \"<ERROR $*>\"; exit 213; }\n")
+	buf.WriteString("MATCH() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; local stdin=$(cat); echo $stdin | grep -q -E \"$*\" || { echo \"error: pattern not found on stdin:\\n$stdin\">&2; return 1; }; }\n")
+	buf.WriteString("NOMATCH() { { set +xu; } 2> /dev/null; local stdin=$(cat); if echo $stdin | grep -q -E \"$*\"; then echo \"NOMATCH pattern='$*' found in:\n$stdin\">&2; return 1; fi }\n")
 	buf.WriteString("export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive\n")
 	buf.WriteString("export DEBIAN_PRIORITY=critical\n")
 	buf.WriteString("export PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/snap/bin\n")
diff --git a/tests/adhoc-fatal/fake/task/task.yaml b/tests/adhoc-fatal/fake/task/task.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bd2e209a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/adhoc-fatal/fake/task/task.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+summary: fake task
+details: |
+  This task will never execute because the allocation
+  of the ad-hoc system always fail.
+execute: |
+  echo "Should not be reached"
diff --git a/tests/adhoc-fatal/spread.yaml b/tests/adhoc-fatal/spread.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..60ecd1b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/adhoc-fatal/spread.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+project: spread
+backends:
+    adhoc:
+        allocate: |
+            FATAL "I cannot do that, Dave"
+        systems:
+            - ubuntu-16.04:
+
+path: /home/adhoc
+restore:
+suites:
+    fake/:
+        summary: Fake test suite
+
+# vim:ts=4:sw=4:et
diff --git a/tests/adhoc-fatal/task.yaml b/tests/adhoc-fatal/task.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4c162486
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/adhoc-fatal/task.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+summary: Test failure to allocate ad-hoc system
+
+execute: |
+    spread | MATCH 'I cannot do that, Dave'