diff --git a/test/units/TEST-04-JOURNAL.journalctl-varlink.sh b/test/units/TEST-04-JOURNAL.journalctl-varlink.sh
index 16cce6f0d4..4f86fa2a54 100755
--- a/test/units/TEST-04-JOURNAL.journalctl-varlink.sh
+++ b/test/units/TEST-04-JOURNAL.journalctl-varlink.sh
@@ -38,11 +38,13 @@ systemd-run --unit="$UNIT_NAME_2" --wait bash -c 'echo hello-from-varlink-test-2
 journalctl --sync
 
 # single unit filter
-varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\"]}" | grep "hello-from-varlink-test-1" >/dev/null
-(! varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\"]}" | grep "hello-from-varlink-test-2")
+SINGLE_OUTPUT="$(varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\"]}")"
+grep "hello-from-varlink-test-1" >/dev/null <<<"$SINGLE_OUTPUT"
+(! grep "hello-from-varlink-test-2" >/dev/null <<<"$SINGLE_OUTPUT")
 # multi unit filter
-varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\", \"$UNIT_NAME_2\"]}" | grep "hello-from-varlink-test-1" >/dev/null
-varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\", \"$UNIT_NAME_2\"]}" | grep "hello-from-varlink-test-2" >/dev/null
+MULTI_OUTPUT="$(varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries "{\"units\": [\"$UNIT_NAME_1\", \"$UNIT_NAME_2\"]}")"
+grep "hello-from-varlink-test-1" >/dev/null <<<"$MULTI_OUTPUT"
+grep "hello-from-varlink-test-2" >/dev/null <<<"$MULTI_OUTPUT"
 
 # check priority filter: priority 4 (warning) should include our warning message
 varlinkctl call --more "$VARLINK_SOCKET" io.systemd.JournalAccess.GetEntries '{"priority": 4, "limit": 1000}' | grep "varlink-test-warning" >/dev/null