diff --git a/build-common/test/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/testingUtils/classFilesComparison.kt b/build-common/test/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/testingUtils/classFilesComparison.kt
index b46ae6b522d..237c037691e 100644
--- a/build-common/test/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/testingUtils/classFilesComparison.kt
+++ b/build-common/test/org/jetbrains/kotlin/incremental/testingUtils/classFilesComparison.kt
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import org.jetbrains.org.objectweb.asm.ClassReader
 import org.jetbrains.org.objectweb.asm.util.TraceClassVisitor
 import org.junit.Assert
 import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
+import org.junit.ComparisonFailure
 import java.io.*
 import java.util.*
 import java.util.zip.CRC32
@@ -71,7 +72,15 @@ fun assertEqualDirectories(expected: File, actual: File, forgiveExtraFiles: Bool
         }
     }
 
-    Assert.assertEquals(expectedString, actualString)
+    if (expectedString != actualString) {
+        val message: String? = null
+        throw ComparisonFailure(
+            message,
+            expectedString.replaceFirst(DIR_ROOT_PLACEHOLDER, expected.canonicalPath),
+            actualString.replaceFirst(DIR_ROOT_PLACEHOLDER, actual.canonicalPath)
+        )
+    }
+
 }
 
 private fun File.checksumString(): String {
@@ -80,6 +89,8 @@ private fun File.checksumString(): String {
     return java.lang.Long.toHexString(crc32.value)
 }
 
+private const val DIR_ROOT_PLACEHOLDER = "<DIR_ROOT_PLACEHOLDER>"
+
 private fun getDirectoryString(dir: File, interestingPaths: List<String>): String {
     val buf = StringBuilder()
     val p = Printer(buf)
@@ -108,7 +119,7 @@ private fun getDirectoryString(dir: File, interestingPaths: List<String>): Strin
     }
 
 
-    p.println(".")
+    p.println(DIR_ROOT_PLACEHOLDER)
     addDirContent(dir)
 
     for (path in interestingPaths) {