diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/AbstractNotificationTest.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/AbstractNotificationTest.java
index d7bcce253c..c6f9d32fe3 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/AbstractNotificationTest.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/AbstractNotificationTest.java
@@ -73,7 +73,11 @@ public abstract class AbstractNotificationTest extends AbstractDaemonTest {
   }
 
   protected static FakeEmailSenderSubject assertThat(FakeEmailSender sender) {
-    return assertAbout(FakeEmailSenderSubject::new).that(sender);
+    return assertAbout(fakeEmailSenders()).that(sender);
+  }
+
+  protected static Subject.Factory<FakeEmailSenderSubject, FakeEmailSender> fakeEmailSenders() {
+    return FakeEmailSenderSubject::new;
   }
 
   protected void setEmailStrategy(TestAccount account, EmailStrategy strategy) throws Exception {
@@ -142,9 +146,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractNotificationTest extends AbstractDaemonTest {
                     : header));
       }
 
-      // Return a named subject that displays a human-readable table of
-      // recipients.
-      return named(recipientMapToString(recipients, users::emailToName));
+      return this;
     }
 
     private static String recipientMapToString(
@@ -205,8 +207,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractNotificationTest extends AbstractDaemonTest {
       if (recipients.get(type).contains(email) != expected) {
         failWithoutActual(
             fact(
-                expected ? "should notify" : "shouldn't notify",
-                type + ": " + users.emailToName(email)));
+                expected ? "expected to notify" : "expected not to notify",
+                type + ": " + users.emailToName(email)),
+            fact("but notified", recipientMapToString(recipients, users::emailToName)));
       }
       if (expected) {
         accountedFor.add(email);
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/AssertableExecutorService.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/AssertableExecutorService.java
index fabd7b78ec..18ac2e9773 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/AssertableExecutorService.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/testing/AssertableExecutorService.java
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.testing;
 
-import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
+import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertWithMessage;
 
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ForwardingExecutorService;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.MoreExecutors;
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ public class AssertableExecutorService extends ForwardingExecutorService {
 
   /** Asserts and resets the number of executions this executor observed. */
   public void assertInteractions(int expectedNumInteractions) {
-    assertThat(numInteractions.get())
-        .named("expectedRunnablesSubmittedOnExecutor")
+    assertWithMessage("expectedRunnablesSubmittedOnExecutor")
+        .that(numInteractions.get())
         .isEqualTo(expectedNumInteractions);
     numInteractions.set(0);
   }
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/server/mail/ChangeNotificationsIT.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/server/mail/ChangeNotificationsIT.java
index abf02d5230..d2d63cf7c4 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/server/mail/ChangeNotificationsIT.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/server/mail/ChangeNotificationsIT.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.acceptance.server.mail;
 
+import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertWithMessage;
 import static com.google.gerrit.extensions.api.changes.NotifyHandling.ALL;
 import static com.google.gerrit.extensions.api.changes.NotifyHandling.NONE;
 import static com.google.gerrit.extensions.api.changes.NotifyHandling.OWNER;
@@ -1515,15 +1516,16 @@ public class ChangeNotificationsIT extends AbstractNotificationTest {
       }
 
       merge(sc.changeId, sc.owner);
-      assertThat(sender)
-          .named(name)
+      assertWithMessage(name)
+          .about(fakeEmailSenders())
+          .that(sender)
           .sent("merged", sc)
           .cc(sc.reviewer, sc.ccer)
           .cc(sc.reviewerByEmail, sc.ccerByEmail)
           .bcc(sc.starrer)
           .bcc(ALL_COMMENTS, SUBMITTED_CHANGES)
           .noOneElse();
-      assertThat(sender).named(name).didNotSend();
+      assertWithMessage(name).about(fakeEmailSenders()).that(sender).didNotSend();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/git/ObjectIdsTest.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/git/ObjectIdsTest.java
index 8c87e00005..ccce8eab2d 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/git/ObjectIdsTest.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/git/ObjectIdsTest.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 package com.google.gerrit.git;
 
 import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat;
+import static com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertWithMessage;
 import static com.google.gerrit.git.ObjectIds.abbreviateName;
 import static com.google.gerrit.testing.GerritJUnit.assertThrows;
 import static org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants.OBJECT_ID_STRING_LENGTH;
@@ -111,8 +112,8 @@ public class ObjectIdsTest {
     assertThat(ObjectIds.matchesAbbreviation(ID, "")).isTrue();
     for (int i = 1; i <= OBJECT_ID_STRING_LENGTH; i++) {
       String prefix = ID.name().substring(0, i);
-      assertThat(ObjectIds.matchesAbbreviation(ID, prefix))
-          .named("match %s against %s", ID.name(), prefix)
+      assertWithMessage("match %s against %s", ID.name(), prefix)
+          .that(ObjectIds.matchesAbbreviation(ID, prefix))
           .isTrue();
     }