diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
index 432d393f5b..fe778d9761 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from mock import Mock
 from evennia.commands.default.cmdset_character import CharacterCmdSet
 from evennia.utils.test_resources import EvenniaTest
 from evennia.commands.default import help, general, system, admin, player, building, batchprocess, comms
-from evennia.utils import ansi
+from evennia.utils import ansi, utils
 from evennia.server.sessionhandler import SESSIONS
 
 
@@ -67,8 +67,9 @@ class CommandTest(EvenniaTest):
             cmdobj.parse()
             cmdobj.func()
             cmdobj.at_post_cmd()
-            # clean out prettytable sugar
-            stored_msg = [args[0] if args else kwargs.get("text",kwargs) for name, args, kwargs in receiver.msg.mock_calls]
+            # clean out prettytable sugar. We only operate on text-type
+            stored_msg = [args[0] if args and args[0] else kwargs.get("text",utils.to_str(kwargs, force_string=True))
+                    for name, args, kwargs in receiver.msg.mock_calls]
             returned_msg = "||".join(_RE.sub("", mess) for mess in stored_msg)
             returned_msg = ansi.parse_ansi(returned_msg, strip_ansi=noansi).strip()
             if msg is not None: