diff --git a/bin/guest/integration_tests/main.cc b/bin/guest/integration_tests/main.cc
index f7d03e4..98f0c8b 100644
--- a/bin/guest/integration_tests/main.cc
+++ b/bin/guest/integration_tests/main.cc
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@
         "--cmdline=loglevel=0 console=hvc0 root=/dev/vda rw");
     return true;
   }
+
+  static bool SetUpGuest() {
+    if (WaitForShellReady() != ZX_OK) {
+      ADD_FAILURE() << "Failed to wait for shell";
+      return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+  }
 };
 
 TEST_F(LinuxMultiprocessorGuestTest, LaunchGuest) {
diff --git a/bin/guest/integration_tests/test_serial.cc b/bin/guest/integration_tests/test_serial.cc
index 682dd5c..701e33d 100644
--- a/bin/guest/integration_tests/test_serial.cc
+++ b/bin/guest/integration_tests/test_serial.cc
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include <lib/fxl/strings/string_printf.h>
 #include <lib/zx/time.h>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <regex>
 
 static constexpr bool kGuestOutput = false;
 static constexpr size_t kSerialBufferSize = 1024;
@@ -101,10 +102,15 @@
 
 zx_status_t TestSerial::WaitForMarker(const std::string& marker,
                                       std::string* result) {
+  std::regex prompt_re("[#$] ");
   std::string output = buffer_;
   buffer_.erase();
   zx_status_t status;
   do {
+    // We strip prompts from the output as a stopgap against linux guests
+    // interleaving the prompt randomly in the output.
+    output = std::regex_replace(output, prompt_re, "");
+
     auto marker_loc = output.rfind(marker);
     if (marker_loc != std::string::npos && !output.empty()) {
       // Do not accept a marker that isn't terminated by a newline.