diff --git a/tests/test_api.py b/tests/test_api.py
index 09b509782..9583249b1 100644
--- a/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/tests/test_api.py
@@ -641,15 +641,10 @@ def get_logs():
     assert quartiles[0] < threshold
 
 
-# This used to fail with build_key_version < 3. With v3, the sizes of namespace
-# and environment names have no effect on the build key, so the build should
-# complete without failures. The comments below describe errors that used to
-# happen previously:
-#
-# > Only testing size values that will always cause errors. Smaller values could
-# > cause errors as well, but would be flaky since the test conda-store state
-# > directory might have different lengths on different systems, for instance,
-# > due to different username lengths.
+# Only testing size values that will always cause errors. Smaller values could
+# cause errors as well, but would be flaky since the test conda-store state
+# directory might have different lengths on different systems, for instance,
+# due to different username lengths.
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "size",
     [
@@ -674,7 +669,7 @@ def test_create_specification_auth_env_name_too_long(testclient, size):
             "specification": json.dumps({"name": environment_name}),
         },
     )
-    if size > 255:  # SQL error, expected
+    if size > 255:
         assert response.status_code == 500
         return  # error, nothing to do
     response.raise_for_status()
@@ -683,7 +678,7 @@ def test_create_specification_auth_env_name_too_long(testclient, size):
     assert r.status == schema.APIStatus.OK
     build_id = r.data.build_id
 
-    # Try checking that the status is 'COMPLETED'
+    # Try checking that the status is 'FAILED'
     is_updated = False
     for _ in range(60):
         time.sleep(10)
@@ -695,9 +690,10 @@ def test_create_specification_auth_env_name_too_long(testclient, size):
         r = schema.APIGetBuild.parse_obj(response.json())
         assert r.status == schema.APIStatus.OK
         assert r.data.specification.name == environment_name
-        if r.data.status in ("QUEUED", "BUILDING"):
+        if r.data.status == "QUEUED":
             continue  # checked too fast, try again
-        assert r.data.status == "COMPLETED"
+        assert r.data.status == "FAILED"
+        assert r.data.status_info == "build_path too long: must be <= 255 characters"
         is_updated = True
         break