diff --git a/src/controller/testsuite/test.c b/src/controller/testsuite/test.c
index a54ecf4..296c8ec 100644
--- a/src/controller/testsuite/test.c
+++ b/src/controller/testsuite/test.c
@@ -901,7 +901,8 @@ static char* job_state_str(int state)
  *
  * On error this returns the negative rc WITHOUT setting any auto-variable, so a
  * failed joblist never advertises a fake `$jobcount` (Req 3.6). */
-static int joblist_query(const char* find_jobid, int* contains, int print_table)
+static int joblist_query(const char* find_jobid, int* contains, int print_table,
+                         int quiet)
 {
     int         rc, i;
     xce_job_t** jobs;
@@ -914,7 +915,12 @@ static int joblist_query(const char* find_jobid, int* contains, int print_table)
 
     if (rc < 0) {
         SET_ERROR(-rc);
-        perror("xce_joblist");
+        /* `quiet` callers (e.g. the wait-primary poll, which probes repeatedly
+         * and EXPECTS failure until a primary serves) suppress the per-attempt
+         * error print so a normal failover wait does not spam the console. */
+        if (!quiet) {
+            perror("xce_joblist");
+        }
         return rc;
     }
 
@@ -957,7 +963,7 @@ int cmd_joblist(int argc, char* argv[])
 {
     int count;
 
-    count = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 1);
+    count = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 1, /*quiet=*/0);
 
     if (count < 0) {
         return count;
@@ -1008,7 +1014,7 @@ int cmd_expect_jobs(int argc, char* argv[])
     /* Print-free count via the shared helper. A negative rc means the query
      * itself failed (e.g. no reachable master) — that is an assertion failure,
      * not "0 jobs". */
-    count = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 0);
+    count = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 0, /*quiet=*/0);
 
     if (count < 0) {
         printf("expect-jobs: could not determine job count (joblist query "
@@ -1056,7 +1062,7 @@ int cmd_expect_job(int argc, char* argv[])
     /* Print-free membership query via the shared helper. A negative rc means the
      * query itself failed (e.g. no reachable master) — that is an assertion
      * failure, distinct from "job absent". */
-    rc = joblist_query(argv[1], &contains, 0);
+    rc = joblist_query(argv[1], &contains, 0, /*quiet=*/0);
 
     if (rc < 0) {
         printf("expect-job: could not determine membership of '%s' (joblist "
@@ -1099,6 +1105,11 @@ int cmd_expect_job(int argc, char* argv[])
 #define NS_PER_MS               1000000L
 #define US_PER_MS               1000L
 
+/* The client's configured log level (set in main from -v), so wait-primary can
+ * temporarily raise the threshold to silence libxce's per-attempt failover INFO
+ * spam during its poll and then RESTORE the user's chosen level. */
+static char* g_active_loglevel = (char*)"info";
+
 static long monotonic_ms(void)
 {
     struct timespec ts;
@@ -1135,15 +1146,23 @@ int cmd_wait_primary(int argc, char* argv[])
 
     start_ms = monotonic_ms();
 
+    /* The poll probes repeatedly and EXPECTS failure until a primary serves, so
+     * it must not spam the console: the probe suppresses its own error print
+     * (quiet=1), and we raise the client log threshold for the duration of the
+     * loop to silence libxce's per-attempt "xcecli failover: attempt N" INFO
+     * logs — RESTORED to the user's level on every exit path. */
+    mylog_setlevel((char*)"warn");
+
     /* Probe, then re-check the monotonic deadline between attempts. Each probe
      * may itself take time (libxce failover has its own internal retry budget);
      * we re-read the clock after every probe returns so the overall loop honors
      * the deadline and returns failure in bounded time. */
     for (;;) {
-        int rc = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 0);
+        int rc = joblist_query(NULL, NULL, 0, /*quiet=*/1);
 
         if (rc >= 0) {
             elapsed_ms = monotonic_ms() - start_ms;
+            mylog_setlevel(g_active_loglevel);
             printf("wait-primary: primary serving after %ld ms\n", elapsed_ms);
             return 0;
         }
@@ -1151,6 +1170,7 @@ int cmd_wait_primary(int argc, char* argv[])
         elapsed_ms = monotonic_ms() - start_ms;
 
         if (elapsed_ms >= timeout_ms) {
+            mylog_setlevel(g_active_loglevel);
             printf("wait-primary: no primary served within %ld ms (waited "
                    "%ld ms)\n",
                    timeout_ms, elapsed_ms);
@@ -3079,6 +3099,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
         loglevel = verbose_to_loglevel(arguments.verbose);
     }
 
+    /* Remember the user's level so wait-primary can restore it after temporarily
+     * raising the threshold to silence its poll-loop failover spam. */
+    g_active_loglevel = loglevel;
+
     mylog_init(logfile, loglevel, logsize, logcount);
 
     signal(SIGINT, sigbreak);