diff --git a/scripts/base/frameworks/packet-filter/main.zeek b/scripts/base/frameworks/packet-filter/main.zeek
index 6b97960663..ccf7318469 100644
--- a/scripts/base/frameworks/packet-filter/main.zeek
+++ b/scripts/base/frameworks/packet-filter/main.zeek
@@ -281,10 +281,17 @@ function install(): bool
 		NOTICE([$note=Compile_Failure,
 		        $msg=fmt("Compiling packet filter failed"),
 		        $sub=tmp_filter]);
+
+		local error_string = fmt("Bad pcap filter '%s'", tmp_filter);
+
+		local pkt_src_error : string = Pcap::error();
+		if ( pkt_src_error != "no error" )
+			error_string = pkt_src_error;
+
 		if ( network_time() == 0.0 )
-			Reporter::fatal(fmt("Bad pcap filter '%s'", tmp_filter));
+			Reporter::fatal(error_string);
 		else
-			Reporter::warning(fmt("Bad pcap filter '%s'", tmp_filter));
+			Reporter::warning(error_string);
 		}
 	local diff = current_time()-ts;
 	if ( diff > max_filter_compile_time )
diff --git a/testing/btest/Baseline.cpp/core.pcap.filter-error/output b/testing/btest/Baseline.cpp/core.pcap.filter-error/output
deleted file mode 100644
index 42ccac41ce..0000000000
--- a/testing/btest/Baseline.cpp/core.pcap.filter-error/output
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-### BTest baseline data generated by btest-diff. Do not edit. Use "btest -U/-u" to update. Requires BTest >= 0.63.
-fatal error: Bad pcap filter 'kaputt'
-----
-error, cannot compile BPF filter "kaputt, too"
diff --git a/testing/btest/Baseline/core.pcap.filter-error/output b/testing/btest/Baseline/core.pcap.filter-error/output
deleted file mode 100644
index c956191ac6..0000000000
--- a/testing/btest/Baseline/core.pcap.filter-error/output
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-### BTest baseline data generated by btest-diff. Do not edit. Use "btest -U/-u" to update. Requires BTest >= 0.63.
-fatal error in <...>/main.zeek, line 285: Bad pcap filter 'kaputt'
-----
-error, cannot compile BPF filter "kaputt, too"
diff --git a/testing/btest/core/pcap/filter-error.zeek b/testing/btest/core/pcap/filter-error.zeek
index 81f4c24cf9..ae9a40d70f 100644
--- a/testing/btest/core/pcap/filter-error.zeek
+++ b/testing/btest/core/pcap/filter-error.zeek
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
-# @TEST-EXEC-FAIL: zeek -r $TRACES/workshop_2011_browse.trace -f "kaputt" >>output 2>&1
+# Due to the instability of the output from libpcap when it comes to errors when compiling
+# filters, we can't rely on a fixed baseline here to diff against. Instead, just do some
+# greps to validate that we got a syntax error in the output with the string that we passed
+# as a filter.
+
+# @TEST-EXEC-FAIL: zeek -r $TRACES/workshop_2011_browse.trace -f "kaputt" >output 2>&1
 # @TEST-EXEC-FAIL: test -e conn.log
-# @TEST-EXEC: echo ---- >>output
-# @TEST-EXEC: zeek -r $TRACES/workshop_2011_browse.trace  %INPUT >>output 2>&1
+# @TEST-EXEC: grep "kaputt" output | grep -q "syntax error"
+# @TEST-EXEC: zeek -r $TRACES/workshop_2011_browse.trace  %INPUT >output 2>&1
 # @TEST-EXEC: test -e conn.log
-# @TEST-EXEC: TEST_DIFF_CANONIFIER=$SCRIPTS/diff-remove-abspath btest-diff output
+# @TEST-EXEC: grep "kaputt, too" output | grep -q "syntax error"
 
 redef enum PcapFilterID += { A };
 
@@ -12,5 +17,3 @@ event zeek_init()
 	if ( ! Pcap::precompile_pcap_filter(A, "kaputt, too") )
 		print "error", Pcap::error();
 	}
-
-