diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 094e996c93a3b851daed9d6a831cddb201119b53..d92045592a3b6180bfdda150ba5a2ce679354372 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ language: rust
 matrix:
   include:
     - env: TARGET=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
-      rust: nightly
+      # work around problem about 'every suggestion should have at least one span'
+      rust: nightly-2017-11-21
 
     - env: TARGET=thumbv6m-none-eabi
       rust: nightly
diff --git a/ci/script.sh b/ci/script.sh
index 6b85502462240cc3f8bcfd4a0cf81f0e88462fe3..af425da52f98b3aa50c08531fb78a1ffb46ec74d 100644
--- a/ci/script.sh
+++ b/ci/script.sh
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@ set -euxo pipefail
 main() {
     if [ $TARGET = x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu ]; then
         cargo build
-        cargo test --tests
+        cargo test --test cfail
         return
     fi
 
     xargo build --target $TARGET
-    xargo test --target $TARGET --examples
+    xargo check --target $TARGET --examples
 }
 
 main
diff --git a/tests/cfail/interrupt.rs b/tests/cfail/interrupt.rs
index f7879f493cbf55f3c531a08fe3f6623ed3b25812..66d2098be59dc9027ecd972711054228a10d6f66 100644
--- a/tests/cfail/interrupt.rs
+++ b/tests/cfail/interrupt.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ use rtfm::app;
 
 app! {
     //~^ error no associated item named `EXTI33` found for type
-    //~| error no associated item named `EXTI33` found for type
     device: stm32f103xx,
 
     tasks: {
diff --git a/tests/cfail/wrong-threshold.rs b/tests/cfail/wrong-threshold.rs
index b46f82def9e6e879f4b3c5d4b667b078b6abb9d4..b97407150dddaa0f5fab2cc15104561512f1158d 100644
--- a/tests/cfail/wrong-threshold.rs
+++ b/tests/cfail/wrong-threshold.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ fn idle() -> ! {
 fn exti0(mut ot: &mut Threshold, r: EXTI0::Resources) {
     r.A.claim(&mut ot, |_a, mut _it| {
         //~^ error cannot borrow `ot` as mutable more than once at a time
-        //~| error cannot borrow `ot` as mutable more than once at a time
         // ERROR must use inner token `it` instead of the outer one (`ot`)
         r.B.claim(&mut ot, |_b, _| {})
     });