diff --git a/tests/functional2/store/test_evil_nars.py b/tests/functional2/store/test_evil_nars.py
index 937eed0ce..e1df94d84 100644
--- a/tests/functional2/store/test_evil_nars.py
+++ b/tests/functional2/store/test_evil_nars.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import pytest
 import os
+import unicodedata
+from pathlib import Path
 from ..testlib.nar import *
 from ..testlib.fixtures import Nix
 from io import BytesIO
@@ -12,59 +14,59 @@ meow_nfd = meow_nfd_.encode('utf-8')
 assert meow_nfc != meow_nfd
 
 EVIL_NARS: list[tuple[str, NarItem]] = [
-    ('valid-dir-1', Directory([
-        (b'a-nested', Directory([
+    ('valid-dir-1', DirectoryUnordered([
+        (b'a-nested', DirectoryUnordered([
             (b'loopy', Symlink(b'../abc-nested'))
         ])),
         (b'b-file', Regular(False, b'meow kbity')),
         (b'c-exe', Regular(True, b'#!/usr/bin/env cat\nmeow kbity')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-slashes-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-slashes-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'meow', Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
         (b'meow/nya', Regular(False, b'eepy')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dot-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dot-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'.', Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dot-2', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dot-2', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'..', Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-nul-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-nul-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'meow\0nya', Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-misorder-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-misorder-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'zzz', Regular(False, b'eepy')),
         (b'kbity', Regular(False, b'meow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dupe-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dupe-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'zzz', Regular(False, b'eepy')),
         (b'zzz', Regular(False, b'meow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dupe-2', Directory([
-        (b'zzz', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dupe-2', DirectoryUnordered([
+        (b'zzz', DirectoryUnordered([
             (b'meow', Regular(False, b'kbity'))
         ])),
         (b'zzz', Regular(False, b'meow')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dupe-3', Directory([
-        (b'zzz', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dupe-3', DirectoryUnordered([
+        (b'zzz', DirectoryUnordered([
             (b'meow', Regular(False, b'kbity'))
         ])),
-        (b'zzz', Directory([
+        (b'zzz', DirectoryUnordered([
             (b'meow', Regular(False, b'kbityy'))
         ])),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-dupe-4', Directory([
+    ('invalid-dupe-4', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'zzz', Symlink(b'../kbity')),
-        (b'zzz', Directory([
+        (b'zzz', DirectoryUnordered([
             (b'meow', Regular(False, b'kbityy'))
         ])),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-casehack-1', Directory([
+    ('invalid-casehack-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'ZZZ~nix~case~hack~2', Regular(False, b'meow')),
         (b'zzz~nix~case~hack~1', Regular(False, b'eepy')),
     ])),
-    ('invalid-casehack-2', Directory([
+    ('invalid-casehack-2', DirectoryUnordered([
         (b'ZZZ~nix~case~hack~1', Regular(False, b'meow')),
         (b'zzz~nix~case~hack~1', Regular(False, b'eepy')),
     ])),
@@ -106,12 +108,12 @@ def test_unicode_evil_nar(nix: Nix, tmp_path: Path):
         # normalization is not applied to this system
         pytest.skip('filesystem does not use unicode normalization')
 
-    test_evil_nar(nix, 'invalid-unicode-normalization-1', Directory([
+    test_evil_nar(nix, 'invalid-unicode-normalization-1', DirectoryUnordered([
         # méow
         (meow_nfd, Regular(False, b'eepy')),
         (meow_nfc, Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
     ]))
-    test_evil_nar(nix, 'invalid-unicode-normalization-2', Directory([
+    test_evil_nar(nix, 'invalid-unicode-normalization-2', DirectoryUnordered([
         # méow
         (meow_nfd, Symlink(b'meowmeow')),
         (meow_nfc, Regular(False, b'eepy')),
diff --git a/tests/functional2/testlib/fixtures/__init__.py b/tests/functional2/testlib/fixtures/__init__.py
index 259132c14..49d686772 100644
--- a/tests/functional2/testlib/fixtures/__init__.py
+++ b/tests/functional2/testlib/fixtures/__init__.py
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ class CommandResult:
 
     def ok(self):
         if self.rc != 0:
+            print('stdout:', self.stdout_s)
+            print('stderr:', self.stderr_s)
             raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(returncode=self.rc,
                                                 cmd=self.cmd,
                                                 stderr=self.stderr,
@@ -28,6 +30,8 @@ class CommandResult:
 
     def expect(self, rc: int):
         if self.rc != rc:
+            print('stdout:', self.stdout_s)
+            print('stderr:', self.stderr_s)
             raise subprocess.CalledProcessError(returncode=self.rc,
                                                 cmd=self.cmd,
                                                 stderr=self.stderr,
diff --git a/tests/functional2/testlib/nar.py b/tests/functional2/testlib/nar.py
index ffeb5a809..927e3feab 100644
--- a/tests/functional2/testlib/nar.py
+++ b/tests/functional2/testlib/nar.py
@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@ See "The Purely Functional Software Deployment Model", fig. 5.2 [1].
 from abc import ABCMeta, abstractmethod
 import dataclasses
 import struct
-from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Protocol
-import unicodedata
 
 
 class Writable(Protocol):
     """Realistically could just be IOBase but this is more constrained"""
-    def write(self, data: bytes, /) -> int: ...
+
+    def write(self, data: bytes, /) -> int:
+        ...
 
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class Regular(NarItem):
 
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
-class Directory(NarItem):
+class DirectoryUnordered(NarItem):
     entries: list[tuple[bytes, NarItem]]
     """Entries in the directory, not required to be in order because this nar is evil"""
     type_ = b'directory'
@@ -91,6 +91,15 @@ class Directory(NarItem):
             self.entry(out, name, entry)
 
 
+@dataclasses.dataclass
+class Directory(NarItem):
+    entries: dict[bytes, NarItem]
+
+    def serialize_type(self, out: NarListener):
+        for name, item in sorted(self.entries.items(), key=lambda v: v[0]):
+            DirectoryUnordered.entry(out, name, item)
+
+
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class Symlink(NarItem):
     target: bytes