diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/pm_netlink.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/pm_netlink.sh
index d68353c18996..06446cec7f55 100755
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/pm_netlink.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/pm_netlink.sh
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "" "defaults addr list"
 
 default_limits="$(ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits)"
 if mptcp_lib_expect_all_features; then
-	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits" "accept 0
-subflows 2" "defaults limits"
+	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits" \
+		$'accept 0\nsubflows 2' "defaults limits"
 fi
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.1
@@ -71,15 +71,15 @@ ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.3 flags signal,backup
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl get 1" "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1" "simple add/get addr"
 
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
-"id 1 flags  10.0.1.1
-id 2 flags subflow dev lo 10.0.1.2
-id 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3" "dump addrs"
+	"$(printf '%s\n' "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1" \
+	"id 2 flags subflow dev lo 10.0.1.2" "id 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3")" \
+	"dump addrs"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl del 2
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl get 2" "" "simple del addr"
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
-"id 1 flags  10.0.1.1
-id 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3" "dump addrs after del"
+	$'id 1 flags  10.0.1.1\nid 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3' \
+	"dump addrs after del"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.3 2>/dev/null
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl get 4" "" "duplicate addr"
@@ -98,13 +98,11 @@ for i in `seq 10 255`; do
 	ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.9 id $i
 	ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl del $i
 done
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1
-id 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3
-id 4 flags signal 10.0.1.4
-id 5 flags signal 10.0.1.5
-id 6 flags signal 10.0.1.6
-id 7 flags signal 10.0.1.7
-id 8 flags signal 10.0.1.8" "id limit"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+	"$(printf '%s\n' "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1" "id 3 flags signal,backup 10.0.1.3" \
+	"id 4 flags signal 10.0.1.4" "id 5 flags signal 10.0.1.5" "id 6 flags signal 10.0.1.6" \
+	"id 7 flags signal 10.0.1.7" "id 8 flags signal 10.0.1.8")" \
+	"id limit"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl flush
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "" "flush addrs"
@@ -116,8 +114,7 @@ ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits 1 9 2>/dev/null
 check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits" "$default_limits" "subflows above hard limit"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits 8 8
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits" "accept 8
-subflows 8" "set limits"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl limits" $'accept 8\nsubflows 8' "set limits"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl flush
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.1
@@ -128,14 +125,11 @@ ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.5 id 254
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.6
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.7
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.8
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1
-id 2 flags  10.0.1.2
-id 3 flags  10.0.1.7
-id 4 flags  10.0.1.8
-id 100 flags  10.0.1.3
-id 101 flags  10.0.1.4
-id 254 flags  10.0.1.5
-id 255 flags  10.0.1.6" "set ids"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+	"$(printf '%s\n' "id 1 flags  10.0.1.1" "id 2 flags  10.0.1.2" "id 3 flags  10.0.1.7" \
+	"id 4 flags  10.0.1.8" "id 100 flags  10.0.1.3" "id 101 flags  10.0.1.4" \
+	"id 254 flags  10.0.1.5" "id 255 flags  10.0.1.6")" \
+	"set ids"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl flush
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.1
@@ -146,36 +140,38 @@ ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.5 id 253
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.6
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.7
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.0.8
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags  10.0.0.1
-id 2 flags  10.0.0.4
-id 3 flags  10.0.0.6
-id 4 flags  10.0.0.7
-id 5 flags  10.0.0.8
-id 253 flags  10.0.0.5
-id 254 flags  10.0.0.2
-id 255 flags  10.0.0.3" "wrap-around ids"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+	"$(printf '%s\n' "id 1 flags  10.0.0.1" "id 2 flags  10.0.0.4" "id 3 flags  10.0.0.6" \
+	"id 4 flags  10.0.0.7" "id 5 flags  10.0.0.8" "id 253 flags  10.0.0.5" \
+	"id 254 flags  10.0.0.2" "id 255 flags  10.0.0.3")" \
+	"wrap-around ids"
 
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl flush
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl add 10.0.1.1 flags subflow
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl set 10.0.1.1 flags backup
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags \
-subflow,backup 10.0.1.1" "set flags (backup)"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+	"id 1 flags subflow,backup 10.0.1.1" \
+	"set flags (backup)"
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl set 10.0.1.1 flags nobackup
-check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags \
-subflow 10.0.1.1" "          (nobackup)"
+check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+	"id 1 flags subflow 10.0.1.1" \
+	"          (nobackup)"
 
 # fullmesh support has been added later
 ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl set id 1 flags fullmesh
 if ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump | grep -q "fullmesh" ||
    mptcp_lib_expect_all_features; then
-	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags \
-subflow,fullmesh 10.0.1.1" "          (fullmesh)"
+	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+		"id 1 flags subflow,fullmesh 10.0.1.1" \
+		"          (fullmesh)"
 	ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl set id 1 flags nofullmesh
-	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags \
-subflow 10.0.1.1" "          (nofullmesh)"
+	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+		"id 1 flags subflow 10.0.1.1" \
+		"          (nofullmesh)"
 	ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl set id 1 flags backup,fullmesh
-	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" "id 1 flags \
-subflow,backup,fullmesh 10.0.1.1" "          (backup,fullmesh)"
+	check "ip netns exec $ns1 ./pm_nl_ctl dump" \
+		"id 1 flags subflow,backup,fullmesh 10.0.1.1" \
+		"          (backup,fullmesh)"
 fi
 
 mptcp_lib_result_print_all_tap
