diff --git a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
index df88726f68..094fd4c823 100644
--- a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
+++ b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/NavigationModeSwitchRule.java
@@ -205,11 +205,10 @@ public class NavigationModeSwitchRule implements TestRule {
             boolean condition, Description description) {
         launcher.checkForAnomaly(true, true);
         if (!condition) {
-            final AssertionError assertionError = new AssertionError(message);
             if (description != null) {
-                FailureWatcher.onError(launcher, description, assertionError);
+                FailureWatcher.onError(launcher, description);
             }
-            throw assertionError;
+            throw new AssertionError(message);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskbarModeSwitchRule.java b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskbarModeSwitchRule.java
index e5657fb644..84ceb332d9 100644
--- a/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskbarModeSwitchRule.java
+++ b/quickstep/tests/src/com/android/quickstep/TaskbarModeSwitchRule.java
@@ -130,11 +130,10 @@ public class TaskbarModeSwitchRule implements TestRule {
             boolean condition, Description description) {
         launcher.checkForAnomaly(true, true);
         if (!condition) {
-            final AssertionError assertionError = new AssertionError(message);
             if (description != null) {
-                FailureWatcher.onError(launcher, description, assertionError);
+                FailureWatcher.onError(launcher, description);
             }
-            throw assertionError;
+            throw new AssertionError(message);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/ui/PortraitLandscapeRunner.java b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/ui/PortraitLandscapeRunner.java
index c4e74f20fa..e5c5c196bf 100644
--- a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/ui/PortraitLandscapeRunner.java
+++ b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/ui/PortraitLandscapeRunner.java
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ public class PortraitLandscapeRunner<LAUNCHER_TYPE extends Launcher> implements
                                         true));
 
                     } catch (Throwable e) {
-                        FailureWatcher.onError(mTest.mLauncher, description, e);
+                        FailureWatcher.onError(mTest.mLauncher, description);
                         throw e;
                     }
 
diff --git a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/rule/FailureWatcher.java b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/rule/FailureWatcher.java
index 7fba33ec81..7bdc040afc 100644
--- a/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/rule/FailureWatcher.java
+++ b/tests/src/com/android/launcher3/util/rule/FailureWatcher.java
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ import java.util.zip.ZipOutputStream;
 public class FailureWatcher extends TestWatcher {
     private static final String TAG = "FailureWatcher";
     private static boolean sSavedBugreport = false;
+    private static Description sDescriptionForLastSavedArtifacts;
+
     private final LauncherInstrumentation mLauncher;
     @NonNull
     private final Supplier<ExportedData> mViewCaptureDataSupplier;
@@ -40,6 +42,18 @@ public class FailureWatcher extends TestWatcher {
         mViewCaptureDataSupplier = viewCaptureDataSupplier;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    protected void starting(Description description) {
+        mLauncher.setOnFailure(() -> onError(mLauncher, description, mViewCaptureDataSupplier));
+        super.starting(description);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    protected void finished(Description description) {
+        super.finished(description);
+        mLauncher.setOnFailure(null);
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected void succeeded(Description description) {
         super.succeeded(description);
@@ -70,7 +84,7 @@ public class FailureWatcher extends TestWatcher {
 
     @Override
     protected void failed(Throwable e, Description description) {
-        onError(mLauncher, description, e, mViewCaptureDataSupplier);
+        onError(mLauncher, description, mViewCaptureDataSupplier);
     }
 
     static File diagFile(Description description, String prefix, String ext) {
@@ -79,13 +93,18 @@ public class FailureWatcher extends TestWatcher {
                         + description.getMethodName() + "." + ext);
     }
 
-    public static void onError(LauncherInstrumentation launcher, Description description,
-            Throwable e) {
-        onError(launcher, description, e, null);
+    /** Action executed when an error condition is expected. Saves artifacts. */
+    public static void onError(LauncherInstrumentation launcher, Description description) {
+        onError(launcher, description, null);
     }
 
     private static void onError(LauncherInstrumentation launcher, Description description,
-            Throwable e, @Nullable Supplier<ExportedData> viewCaptureDataSupplier) {
+            @Nullable Supplier<ExportedData> viewCaptureDataSupplier) {
+        if (description.equals(sDescriptionForLastSavedArtifacts)) {
+            // This test has already saved its artifacts.
+            return;
+        }
+        sDescriptionForLastSavedArtifacts = description;
 
         final File sceenshot = diagFile(description, "TestScreenshot", "png");
         final File hierarchy = diagFile(description, "Hierarchy", "zip");
@@ -114,7 +133,7 @@ public class FailureWatcher extends TestWatcher {
         Log.e(TAG, "Failed test " + description.getMethodName()
                 + ",\nscreenshot will be saved to " + sceenshot
                 + ",\nUI dump at: " + hierarchy
-                + " (use go/web-hv to open the dump file)", e);
+                + " (use go/web-hv to open the dump file)");
         final UiDevice device = launcher.getDevice();
         device.takeScreenshot(sceenshot);
 
diff --git a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
index 764a4551cf..aa8d33906b 100644
--- a/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
+++ b/tests/tapl/com/android/launcher3/tapl/LauncherInstrumentation.java
@@ -204,6 +204,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
     private Runnable mTestAnomalyChecker;
 
     private boolean mCheckEventsForSuccessfulGestures = false;
+    private Runnable mOnFailure;
     private Runnable mOnLauncherCrashed;
 
     private TrackpadGestureType mTrackpadGestureType = TrackpadGestureType.NONE;
@@ -342,6 +343,11 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
         mCheckEventsForSuccessfulGestures = true;
     }
 
+    /** Sets a runnable that will be invoked upon assertion failures. */
+    public void setOnFailure(Runnable onFailure) {
+        mOnFailure = onFailure;
+    }
+
     public void setOnLauncherCrashed(Runnable onLauncherCrashed) {
         mOnLauncherCrashed = onLauncherCrashed;
     }
@@ -623,6 +629,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
         final String systemAnomalyMessage =
                 getSystemAnomalyMessage(ignoreNavmodeChangeStates, ignoreOnlySystemUiViews);
         if (systemAnomalyMessage != null) {
+            if (mOnFailure != null) mOnFailure.run();
             Assert.fail(formatSystemHealthMessage(formatErrorWithEvents(
                     "http://go/tapl : Tests are broken by a non-Launcher system error: "
                             + systemAnomalyMessage, false)));
@@ -742,6 +749,7 @@ public final class LauncherInstrumentation {
 
     void fail(String message) {
         checkForAnomaly();
+        if (mOnFailure != null) mOnFailure.run();
         Assert.fail(formatSystemHealthMessage(formatErrorWithEvents(
                 "http://go/tapl test failure: " + message + ";\nContext: " + getContextDescription()
                         + "; now visible state is " + getVisibleStateMessage(), true)));