diff --git a/command/debug/debug_test.go b/command/debug/debug_test.go
index fee8113b66..215475706c 100644
--- a/command/debug/debug_test.go
+++ b/command/debug/debug_test.go
@@ -14,19 +14,18 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/google/pprof/profile"
 	"github.com/mitchellh/cli"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-
-	"github.com/google/pprof/profile"
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
+	"gotest.tools/v3/fs"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/sdk/testutil"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/testrpc"
 )
 
-func TestDebugCommand_noTabs(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
+func TestDebugCommand_Help_TextContainsNoTabs(t *testing.T) {
 	if strings.ContainsRune(New(cli.NewMockUi(), nil).Help(), '\t') {
 		t.Fatal("help has tabs")
 	}
@@ -63,6 +62,16 @@ func TestDebugCommand(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, 0, code)
 	require.Equal(t, "", ui.ErrorWriter.String())
 
+	expected := fs.Expected(t,
+		fs.WithDir("debug",
+			fs.WithFile("agent.json", "", fs.MatchAnyFileContent),
+			fs.WithFile("host.json", "", fs.MatchAnyFileContent),
+			fs.WithFile("index.json", "", fs.MatchAnyFileContent),
+			fs.WithFile("members.json", "", fs.MatchAnyFileContent),
+			// TODO: make the sub-directory names predictable)
+			fs.MatchExtraFiles))
+	assert.Assert(t, fs.Equal(testDir, expected))
+
 	metricsFiles, err := filepath.Glob(fmt.Sprintf("%s/*/%s", outputPath, "metrics.json"))
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.Len(t, metricsFiles, 1)
@@ -127,15 +136,10 @@ func TestDebugCommand_Archive(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestDebugCommand_ArgsBad(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
 	ui := cli.NewMockUi()
 	cmd := New(ui, nil)
 
-	args := []string{
-		"foo",
-		"bad",
-	}
+	args := []string{"foo", "bad"}
 
 	if code := cmd.Run(args); code == 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("should exit non-zero, got code: %d", code)
@@ -518,65 +522,44 @@ func TestDebugCommand_ProfilesExist(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestDebugCommand_ValidateTiming(t *testing.T) {
-	if testing.Short() {
-		t.Skip("too slow for testing.Short")
-	}
-
+func TestDebugCommand_Prepare_ValidateTiming(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := map[string]struct {
 		duration string
 		interval string
-		output   string
-		code     int
+		expected string
 	}{
 		"both": {
-			"20ms",
-			"10ms",
-			"duration must be longer",
-			1,
+			duration: "20ms",
+			interval: "10ms",
+			expected: "duration must be longer",
 		},
 		"short interval": {
-			"10s",
-			"10ms",
-			"interval must be longer",
-			1,
+			duration: "10s",
+			interval: "10ms",
+			expected: "interval must be longer",
 		},
 		"lower duration": {
-			"20s",
-			"30s",
-			"must be longer than interval",
-			1,
+			duration: "20s",
+			interval: "30s",
+			expected: "must be longer than interval",
 		},
 	}
 
 	for name, tc := range cases {
-		// Because we're only testng validation, we want to shut down
-		// the valid duration test to avoid hanging
-		shutdownCh := make(chan struct{})
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ui := cli.NewMockUi()
+			cmd := New(ui, nil)
 
-		a := agent.NewTestAgent(t, "")
-		defer a.Shutdown()
-		testrpc.WaitForLeader(t, a.RPC, "dc1")
+			args := []string{
+				"-duration=" + tc.duration,
+				"-interval=" + tc.interval,
+			}
+			err := cmd.flags.Parse(args)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
 
-		ui := cli.NewMockUi()
-		cmd := New(ui, shutdownCh)
-
-		args := []string{
-			"-http-addr=" + a.HTTPAddr(),
-			"-duration=" + tc.duration,
-			"-interval=" + tc.interval,
-			"-capture=agent",
-		}
-		code := cmd.Run(args)
-
-		if code != tc.code {
-			t.Errorf("%s: should exit %d, got code: %d", name, tc.code, code)
-		}
-
-		errOutput := ui.ErrorWriter.String()
-		if !strings.Contains(errOutput, tc.output) {
-			t.Errorf("%s: expected error output '%s', got '%q'", name, tc.output, errOutput)
-		}
+			_, err = cmd.prepare()
+			testutil.RequireErrorContains(t, err, tc.expected)
+		})
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 9c7bb865f3..b2531f76e5 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ require (
 	google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20190819201941-24fa4b261c55
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.25.1
 	gopkg.in/square/go-jose.v2 v2.5.1
+	gotest.tools/v3 v3.0.3
 	k8s.io/api v0.16.9
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.16.9
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.16.9
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 35862eacef..c8c2ff4fc4 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -652,6 +652,7 @@ golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190311212946-11955173bddd/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190312170243-e65039ee4138/go.mod h1:LCzVGOaR6xXOjkQ3onu1FJEFr0SW1gC7cKk1uF8kGRs=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190506145303-2d16b83fe98c/go.mod h1:RgjU9mgBXZiqYHBnxXauZ1Gv1EHHAz9KjViQ78xBX0Q=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190524140312-2c0ae7006135/go.mod h1:RgjU9mgBXZiqYHBnxXauZ1Gv1EHHAz9KjViQ78xBX0Q=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190624222133-a101b041ded4/go.mod h1:/rFqwRUd4F7ZHNgwSSTFct+R/Kf4OFW1sUzUTQQTgfc=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20190907020128-2ca718005c18/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20191108193012-7d206e10da11/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20191119224855-298f0cb1881e/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
@@ -710,6 +711,8 @@ gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.8 h1:obN1ZagJSUGI0Ek/LBmuj4SNLPfIny3KsKFopxRdj10=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.8/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c h1:dUUwHk2QECo/6vqA44rthZ8ie2QXMNeKRTHCNY2nXvo=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
+gotest.tools/v3 v3.0.3 h1:4AuOwCGf4lLR9u3YOe2awrHygurzhO/HeQ6laiA6Sx0=
+gotest.tools/v3 v3.0.3/go.mod h1:Z7Lb0S5l+klDB31fvDQX8ss/FlKDxtlFlw3Oa8Ymbl8=
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.0-20190102054323-c2f93a96b099/go.mod h1:rf3lG4BRIbNafJWhAfAdb/ePZxsR/4RtNHQocxwk9r4=
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.0-20190106161140-3f1c8253044a/go.mod h1:rf3lG4BRIbNafJWhAfAdb/ePZxsR/4RtNHQocxwk9r4=
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.0-20190418001031-e561f6794a2a/go.mod h1:rf3lG4BRIbNafJWhAfAdb/ePZxsR/4RtNHQocxwk9r4=