diff --git a/test/networkd-test.py b/test/networkd-test.py
index 9bf7ee0019..5760ca5137 100755
--- a/test/networkd-test.py
+++ b/test/networkd-test.py
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ DNS=192.168.5.1
 EOF
 
 # run networkd as in systemd-networkd.service
-exec $(systemctl cat systemd-networkd.service | sed -n '/^ExecStart=/ { s/^.*=//; p}')
+exec $(systemctl cat systemd-networkd.service | sed -n '/^ExecStart=/ { s/^.*=//; s/^[@+-]//; s/^!*//; p}')
 ''' % {'ifr': self.if_router, 'ifc': self.iface, 'addr6': ipv6 and 'Address=2600::1/64' or '',
        'dhopts': dhcpserver_opts or ''})
 
diff --git a/test/test-functions b/test/test-functions
index 67fe5e19b8..745c0a9abe 100644
--- a/test/test-functions
+++ b/test/test-functions
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ install_execs() {
     systemduserunitdir=$(pkg-config --variable=systemduserunitdir systemd)
     egrep -ho '^Exec[^ ]*=[^ ]+' $initdir/{$systemdsystemunitdir,$systemduserunitdir}/*.service \
          | while read i; do
-         i=${i##Exec*=}; i=${i##-}
+         i=${i##Exec*=}; i=${i##[@+\!-]}; i=${i##\!}
          # some {rc,halt}.local scripts and programs are okay to not exist, the rest should
          inst $i || [ "${i%.local}" != "$i" ] || [ "${i%systemd-update-done}" != "$i" ]
      done