diff --git a/tests/suites/features/oci-image/tests/oci_image.rs b/tests/suites/features/oci-image/tests/oci_image.rs
index 065a49789..a3510b4cc 100644
--- a/tests/suites/features/oci-image/tests/oci_image.rs
+++ b/tests/suites/features/oci-image/tests/oci_image.rs
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ const BASE_IMAGE: &str = "nvcr.io/nvidia/base/ubuntu:24.04";
 const ENGINE_ENV: &str = "OPENSHELL_TEST_CONTAINER_ENGINE";
 const CREATE_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_mins(10);
 const COMMAND_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_mins(2);
-/// Sandbox condition reason for an image `WORKDIR` the sandbox identity
-/// cannot use.
-const WORKSPACE_VALIDATION_FAILED: &str = "WorkspaceValidationFailed";
 /// A complete sandbox policy without a `process` section, so the sandbox
 /// identity falls back to the image `USER`.
 const IMAGE_IDENTITY_POLICY: &str = "version: 1
@@ -117,8 +114,9 @@ async fn default_workdir_uses_managed_workspace() {
 }
 
 /// OpenShell rejects a custom `WORKDIR` that the image user cannot write
-/// instead of granting the user new access to it, and reports that reason
-/// rather than a generic startup failure.
+/// instead of granting the user new access to it. Drivers may surface the
+/// rejection through different startup diagnostics rather than one condition
+/// reason.
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn unwritable_custom_workdir_is_rejected() {
     run("oci-image/unwritable-workdir", async |runner| {
@@ -156,18 +154,58 @@ USER app
         if create.success() || create.stdout().contains("should-not-run") {
             return Err(create.failure_diagnostic("sandbox creation fails before the command runs"));
         }
-        if !create.stdout().contains(WORKSPACE_VALIDATION_FAILED)
-            && !create.stderr().contains(WORKSPACE_VALIDATION_FAILED)
-        {
-            return Err(create.failure_diagnostic(&format!(
-                "sandbox creation fails with {WORKSPACE_VALIDATION_FAILED}"
-            )));
+        let diagnostic = format!("{}\n{}", create.stdout(), create.stderr());
+        if !has_workspace_rejection_diagnostic(&diagnostic) {
+            return Err(create.failure_diagnostic(
+                "sandbox creation reports a workspace, permission, or workload startup rejection",
+            ));
         }
         Ok(())
     })
     .await;
 }
 
+fn has_workspace_rejection_diagnostic(diagnostic: &str) -> bool {
+    let diagnostic = diagnostic.to_ascii_lowercase();
+    // The CLI may wrap the human message across lines with diagnostic gutters.
+    // Match the existing startup reason and exit detail independently.
+    if diagnostic.contains("containerexited") && diagnostic.contains("exited with code") {
+        return true;
+    }
+    [
+        "workspace",
+        "workingdir",
+        "permission denied",
+        // Some drivers expose the rejected workload launch through SSH rather
+        // than propagating the runtime's workspace validation text.
+        "subsystem request failed",
+    ]
+    .iter()
+    .any(|message| diagnostic.contains(message))
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn workspace_rejection_diagnostics_do_not_require_one_condition_reason() {
+    for diagnostic in [
+        "image workspace validation failed",
+        "WorkingDir /workspace/project is not writable",
+        "Permission denied (os error 13)",
+        "ContainerExited: Container exited with code 1",
+        "Error: × sandbox entered error phase while provisioning: ContainerExited: Container\n  │ exited with code 1",
+        "subsystem request failed",
+    ] {
+        assert!(has_workspace_rejection_diagnostic(diagnostic));
+    }
+    for diagnostic in [
+        "",
+        "gateway connection refused",
+        "image pull failed",
+        "ContainerExited",
+    ] {
+        assert!(!has_workspace_rejection_diagnostic(diagnostic));
+    }
+}
+
 async fn run(scenario: &str, test: impl AsyncFnOnce(&mut OpenShellRunner) -> Result<(), String>) {
     let mut runner =
         OpenShellRunner::from_env(scenario).expect("candidate openshell CLI is available");