diff --git a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecRunner.java b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecRunner.java
index 1da671f..7cca2c6 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecRunner.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecRunner.java
@@ -4,12 +4,8 @@
 
 package com.samskivert.mustache.specs;
 
-import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
-import java.lang.reflect.Modifier;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecTest.java b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecTest.java
index c250c63..a505acb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/specs/SpecTest.java
@@ -36,7 +36,11 @@ public class SpecTest
             String out = t.execute(spec.getData());
             Assert.assertEquals(desc, uncrlf(spec.getExpectedOutput()), uncrlf(out));
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            Assert.fail(desc + ": " + e);
+            // the specs tests assume that the engine silently ignores invalid delimiter
+            // specifications, but we throw an exception (and rightfully so IMO; this is not a
+            // place where silent failure is helpful), so just ignore those test failures
+            if (!e.getMessage().contains("Invalid delimiter")) Assert.fail(
+                desc + "\nExpected: " + uncrlf(spec.getExpectedOutput()) + "\nError: " + e);
         }
     }