diff --git a/stages/test/test_kickstart.py b/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
index 1bd64ace68..f8ec46d8d3 100644
--- a/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
+++ b/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
@@ -9,6 +9,21 @@
 from osbuild.testutil.imports import import_module_from_path
 
 
+def schema_kickstart_validate(test_data):
+    name = "org.osbuild.kickstart"
+    root = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../..")
+    mod_info = osbuild.meta.ModuleInfo.load(root, "Stage", name)
+    schema = osbuild.meta.Schema(mod_info.get_schema(), name)
+    test_input = {
+        "name": "org.osbuild.kickstart",
+        "options": {
+            "path": "some-path",
+        }
+    }
+    test_input["options"].update(test_data)
+    return schema.validate(test_input)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("test_input,expected", [
     ({"lang": "en_US.UTF-8"}, "lang en_US.UTF-8"),
     ({"keyboard": "us"}, "keyboard us"),
@@ -54,7 +69,7 @@
      "user --name someusr --password $1$notreally --iscrypted --shell /bin/ksh --uid 1337 --gid 1337 --groups grp1,grp2 --homedir /other/home/someusr\n" +
      'sshkey --username someusr "ssh-rsa not-really-a-real-key"'
      ),
-    ({"zerombr": "true"}, "zerombr"),
+    ({"zerombr": True}, "zerombr"),
     ({"clearpart": {}}, "clearpart"),
     ({"clearpart": {"all": True}}, "clearpart --all"),
     ({"clearpart": {"drives": ["hda", "hdb"]}}, "clearpart --drives=hda,hdb",),
@@ -107,6 +122,13 @@ def test_kickstart(tmp_path, test_input, expected):
     # double check with pykickstart if the file looks valid
     subprocess.check_call(["ksvalidator", ks_path])
 
+    # ensure the test inputs are valid
+    res = schema_kickstart_validate(test_input)
+    if not res.valid:
+        print(f"input: {test_input}")
+        print(f"error: {[e.as_dict()['message'] for e in res.errors]}")
+    assert res.valid == True
+
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("test_data,expected_err", [
     # BAD pattern, ensure some obvious ways to write arbitrary
@@ -124,19 +146,7 @@ def test_kickstart(tmp_path, test_input, expected):
     ({"clearpart": {"list": ["sda2", "sda3", "sdb1"]}}, ""),
 ])
 def test_schema_validation_smoke(test_data, expected_err):
-    name = "org.osbuild.kickstart"
-    root = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../..")
-    mod_info = osbuild.meta.ModuleInfo.load(root, "Stage", name)
-    schema = osbuild.meta.Schema(mod_info.get_schema(), name)
-
-    test_input = {
-        "name": "org.osbuild.kickstart",
-        "options": {
-            "path": "some-path",
-        }
-    }
-    test_input["options"].update(test_data)
-    res = schema.validate(test_input)
+    res = schema_kickstart_validate(test_data)
 
     if expected_err == "":
         assert res.valid is True