diff --git a/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/commoncmd/check_provisioning_source.sh b/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/commoncmd/check_provisioning_source.sh
index 9b6f7f632..0310e6fb3 100755
--- a/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/commoncmd/check_provisioning_source.sh
+++ b/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/commoncmd/check_provisioning_source.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
 # Run --baseline before provisioning: an earlier flat run leaves management-node requests for the
 # same address, and counting the whole log fails a later hierarchical run for them. And only a
 # request under /install or /tftpboot is a boot payload: a 404 for /favicon.ico is a request from
-# the compute node that carries no payload, and it must not stand for one.
+# the compute node that carries no payload, and it must not stand for one. wget asks for the root
+# image as //install/..., so the leading slash repeats.
 #
 # Scope: the PXE ROM exchange hands out xcat/xnba.kpxe over TFTP and httpd never sees it.
 # xnba.kpxe is the same binary on both servers, so it decides nothing about the fetch source.
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ count_local_requests()
             if ($1 != ip && $2 != ip) next
             path = ""
             for (i = 1; i <= NF; i++) if ($i ~ /^"(GET|HEAD|POST)$/) { path = $(i + 1); break }
-            if (path ~ /^\/(install|tftpboot)\//) payload++
+            if (path ~ /^\/+(install|tftpboot)\//) payload++
         }
         END { print token, "ok", payload + 0, fresh + 0, total + 0 }
     ' $logs
@@ -202,10 +203,11 @@ if [ "$SN_STATE" != ok ]; then
     RC=1
 fi
 
-# The management node provisioned the service node over http, so its log gains lines on every
-# hierarchical run. A log with nothing new cannot show that the management node served nothing.
-if [ "$MN_STATE" != ok ] || [ "$MN_NEW" -eq 0 ]; then
-    echo "provisioning source error: no httpd access log with new entries could be read on $MN" >&2
+# An empty log answers nothing: it counts 0 whether the management node served the compute node
+# or not. It does NOT have to gain lines after the baseline -- it provisions the service node
+# before it and is then idle, and that silence is the hierarchical result.
+if [ "$MN_STATE" != ok ] || [ "$MN_LINES" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "provisioning source error: no httpd access log with any entry could be read on $MN" >&2
     RC=1
 fi