diff --git a/unittests/test_sync_node.py b/unittests/test_sync_node.py
index 171af8fc6441618beb8fdc80004a1b57ba482ac6..8526678992925dee8360a2f286fbead89d9513d0 100644
--- a/unittests/test_sync_node.py
+++ b/unittests/test_sync_node.py
@@ -171,30 +171,37 @@ def test_sync_node():
     # merge with conflicting information
     # ----------------------------------
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.Record(id=102))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
         sn_a.update(SyncNode(db.Record(id=101)))
 
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.Record(name='102'))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
         sn_a.update(SyncNode(db.Record(name='101')))
 
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.Record(name='102'))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
         sn_a.update(SyncNode(db.File(name='102')))
 
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.Record(description='102'))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
         sn_a.update(SyncNode(db.Record(description='101')))
 
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.File(path='102'))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
         sn_a.update(SyncNode(db.File(path='101')))
 
     sn_a = SyncNode(db.File(path='102'))
     sn_a.identifiable = Identifiable(name='a')
-    sn_b.identifiable = Identifiable(name='b')
+    # sn_b.identifiable = Identifiable(name='b')
     sn_b = SyncNode(db.File(path='101'))
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to update"):
+        sn_a.update(sn_b)
+
+    sn_a = SyncNode(db.File(path='102'))
+    sn_a.identifiable = Identifiable(name='a')
+    sn_b = SyncNode(db.File(path='101'))
+    sn_b.identifiable = Identifiable(name='b')
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="identifiable"):
         sn_a.update(sn_b)