diff --git a/spec/wibox/test_utils.lua b/spec/wibox/test_utils.lua
index a5bf5efd..2869ebdc 100644
--- a/spec/wibox/test_utils.lua
+++ b/spec/wibox/test_utils.lua
@@ -39,21 +39,128 @@ end
 say:set("assertion.widget_fit.positive", "Offering (%s, %s) to widget and expected (%s, %s), but got (%s, %s)")
 assert:register("assertion", "widget_fit", widget_fit, "assertion.widget_fit.positive", "assertion.widget_fit.positive")
 
+local function draw_layout_comparison(actual, expected)
+    local lines = {
+        "Widget layout does not match:\n",
+    }
+
+    local left, right = {}, {}
+
+    local function times(char, len)
+        local chars = {}
+        for _ = 1, len do
+            table.insert(chars, char)
+        end
+        return table.concat(chars, "")
+    end
+
+    local function wrap_line(width, x, line)
+        -- Two columns occupied by the `|` characters
+        local buffer = width - 2 - #line
+        local buffer_left = math.floor(buffer / 2)
+        local buffer_right = buffer - buffer_left
+
+        return string.format(
+            "%s|%s%s%s|",
+            times(" ", x), times(" ", buffer_left), line, times(" ", buffer_right)
+        )
+    end
+
+    local function draw_widget(widget)
+        local height = widget._height
+        local width = widget._width
+        local x = widget._matrix.x0
+        -- Two lines removed for the horizontal lines,
+        -- three for the lines with text
+        local fixed = 5
+        local buffer_top = math.floor((height - fixed) / 2)
+        local buffer_bottom = height - fixed - buffer_top
+
+        local widget_lines = {times("-", width)}
+        for _ = 1, buffer_top do
+            table.insert(widget_lines, wrap_line(width, x, " "))
+        end
+
+        table.insert(widget_lines, wrap_line(width, x, widget._name or "Widget"))
+        table.insert(widget_lines, wrap_line(width, x, string.format(
+            "Size %d,%d",
+            widget._width, widget._height
+        )))
+        table.insert(widget_lines, wrap_line(width, x, string.format(
+            "Pos %d,%d",
+            widget._matrix.x0, widget._matrix.y0
+        )))
+
+        for _ = 1, buffer_bottom do
+            table.insert(widget_lines, wrap_line(width, x, " "))
+        end
+
+        table.insert(widget_lines, times("-", width))
+
+        return widget_lines
+    end
+
+    local max_len = 0
+
+    for _, widget in ipairs(actual) do
+        for _, line in ipairs(draw_widget(widget)) do
+            max_len = math.max(max_len, #line)
+            table.insert(left, line)
+        end
+    end
+
+    for _, widget in ipairs(expected) do
+        for _, line in ipairs(draw_widget(widget)) do
+            table.insert(right, line)
+        end
+    end
+
+    table.insert(lines, string.format(
+        "%-"..max_len.."s   %-"..max_len.."s",
+        "Actual:", "Expected:"
+    ))
+
+    for i = 1, math.max(#left, #right) do
+        table.insert(lines, string.format("%-"..max_len.."s   %s", left[i] or "", right[i] or ""))
+    end
+
+    -- Force one additional newline. Due to how the error message has to be set
+    -- up, we want to force `say`'s trailing quote into a new line.
+    table.insert(lines, "")
+
+    return table.concat(lines, "\n")
+end
+
 local function widget_layout(state, arguments)
     if #arguments ~= 3 then
         error("Have " .. #arguments .. " arguments, but need 3")
     end
 
     local widget = arguments[1]
-    local given = arguments[2]
+    local width_actual, height_actual = arguments[2][1], arguments[2][2]
     local expected = arguments[3]
-    local children = widget.layout and widget:layout({ "fake context" }, given[1], given[2]) or {}
 
-    local fits = true
-    if #children ~= #expected then
-        fits = false
-    else
-        for i = 1, #children do
+    if not widget.layout then
+        arguments[1] = "Method `layout` is missing. Is this even a widget?"
+        return false
+    end
+
+    local children = widget:layout({"fake context"}, width_actual, height_actual)
+
+    if type(children) ~= "table" then
+        arguments[1] = string.format(
+            "Expected table from widget:layout(), got %s",
+            type(children)
+        )
+        return
+    end
+
+    local num_children = #children
+
+    local fits = num_children == #expected
+    -- If the numbers don't match, we can skip checking them individually
+    if fits then
+        for i = 1, num_children do
             local child, exp = children[i], expected[i]
             if child._widget ~= exp._widget or
                 child._width ~= exp._width or
@@ -69,15 +176,13 @@ local function widget_layout(state, arguments)
         return true
     end
 
-    -- For proper error message, mess with the arguments
-    arguments[1] = expected
-    arguments[2] = children
-    arguments[3] = given[1]
-    arguments[4] = given[2]
-
+    arguments[1] = draw_layout_comparison(children, expected)
     return false
 end
-say:set("assertion.widget_layout.positive", "Expected:\n%s\nbut got:\n%s\nwhen offering (%s, %s) to widget")
+
+-- Hack the API by using the first argument as arbitrary string.
+-- This gives actual flexibility in the error message.
+say:set("assertion.widget_layout.positive", "%s")
 assert:register("assertion",
                 "widget_layout",
                 widget_layout,