diff --git a/src/lib_vt.zig b/src/lib_vt.zig
index 2475ff786..b4a2722bf 100644
--- a/src/lib_vt.zig
+++ b/src/lib_vt.zig
@@ -386,6 +386,12 @@ pub const std_options: std.Options = opts: {
 };
 
 test {
+    // Zig 0.16.0 has made test logging more strict. Now, *anything* that gets
+    // printed to stderr results in a "failed command" message, even if the
+    // tests ultimately passed. To reduce confusion here (and honestly, test
+    // log spam in general), we bump the default testing log level to error.
+    @import("std").testing.log_level = std.log.Level.err;
+
     _ = terminal;
     _ = @import("lib/main.zig");
     @import("std").testing.refAllDecls(input);