diff --git a/testament/categories.nim b/testament/categories.nim
index 0d19842ec801e..b1716260921b2 100644
--- a/testament/categories.nim
+++ b/testament/categories.nim
@@ -563,13 +563,13 @@ proc `&.?`(a, b: string): string =
   # candidate for the stdlib?
   result = if b.startsWith(a): b else: a & b
 
-proc processSingleTest(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options, test: string) =
-  let test = testsDir &.? cat.string / test
-  let target = if cat.string.normalize == "js": targetJS else: targetC
-  if fileExists(test):
-    testSpec r, makeTest(test, options, cat), {target}
-  else:
-    doAssert false, test & " test does not exist"
+proc processSingleTest(r: var TResults, cat: Category, options, test: string, targets: set[TTarget], targetsSet: bool) =
+  var targets = targets
+  if not targetsSet:
+    let target = if cat.string.normalize == "js": targetJS else: targetC
+    targets = {target}
+  doAssert fileExists(test), test & " test does not exist"
+  testSpec r, makeTest(test, options, cat), targets
 
 proc isJoinableSpec(spec: TSpec): bool =
   result = not spec.sortoutput and
diff --git a/testament/specs.nim b/testament/specs.nim
index eaae598bbcc69..eccbd60b1b112 100644
--- a/testament/specs.nim
+++ b/testament/specs.nim
@@ -57,10 +57,10 @@ type
     reInvalidSpec       # test had problems to parse the spec
 
   TTarget* = enum
-    targetC = "C"
-    targetCpp = "C++"
-    targetObjC = "ObjC"
-    targetJS = "JS"
+    targetC = "c"
+    targetCpp = "cpp"
+    targetObjC = "objc"
+    targetJS = "js"
 
   InlineError* = object
     kind*: string
diff --git a/testament/testament.nim b/testament/testament.nim
index 2912b03abb76e..51e3abc7f3b8a 100644
--- a/testament/testament.nim
+++ b/testament/testament.nim
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ let
   pegOfInterest = pegLineError / pegOtherError
 
 var gTargets = {low(TTarget)..high(TTarget)}
+var targetsSet = false
 
 proc isSuccess(input: string): bool =
   # not clear how to do the equivalent of pkg/regex's: re"FOO(.*?)BAR" in pegs
@@ -685,6 +686,7 @@ proc main() =
     of "targets":
       targetsStr = p.val.string
       gTargets = parseTargets(targetsStr)
+      targetsSet = true
     of "nim":
       compilerPrefix = addFileExt(p.val.string, ExeExt)
     of "directory":
@@ -794,14 +796,16 @@ proc main() =
     p.next
     processPattern(r, pattern, p.cmdLineRest.string, simulate)
   of "r", "run":
+    # "/pathto/tests/stdlib/nre/captures.nim" -> "stdlib" + "tests/stdlib/nre/captures.nim"
     var subPath = p.key.string
-    if subPath.isAbsolute: subPath = subPath.relativePath(getCurrentDir())
+    let nimRoot = currentSourcePath / "../.."
+      # makes sure points to this regardless of cwd or which nim is used to compile this.
+    doAssert existsDir(nimRoot/testsDir) # sanity check
+    if subPath.isAbsolute: subPath = subPath.relativePath(nimRoot)
     # at least one directory is required in the path, to use as a category name
-    let pathParts = split(subPath, {DirSep, AltSep})
-    # "stdlib/nre/captures.nim" -> "stdlib" + "nre/captures.nim"
+    let pathParts = subPath.relativePath(testsDir).split({DirSep, AltSep})
     let cat = Category(pathParts[0])
-    subPath = joinPath(pathParts[1..^1])
-    processSingleTest(r, cat, p.cmdLineRest.string, subPath)
+    processSingleTest(r, cat, p.cmdLineRest.string, subPath, gTargets, targetsSet)
   of "html":
     generateHtml(resultsFile, optFailing)
   else:
diff --git a/tests/testament/tshould_not_work.nim b/tests/testament/tshould_not_work.nim
index e4d3c7be7d86c..a7a877fe853b0 100644
--- a/tests/testament/tshould_not_work.nim
+++ b/tests/testament/tshould_not_work.nim
@@ -2,36 +2,36 @@ discard """
 cmd: "testament/testament --directory:testament --colors:off --backendLogging:off --nim:../compiler/nim category shouldfail"
 action: compile
 nimout: '''
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tccodecheck.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tccodecheck.nim c
 Failure: reCodegenFailure
 Expected:
 baz
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tcolumn.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tcolumn.nim c
 Failure: reLinesDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/terrormsg.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/terrormsg.nim c
 Failure: reMsgsDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/texitcode1.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/texitcode1.nim c
 Failure: reExitcodesDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tfile.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tfile.nim c
 Failure: reFilesDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tline.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tline.nim c
 Failure: reLinesDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tmaxcodesize.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tmaxcodesize.nim c
 Failure: reCodegenFailure
 max allowed size: 1
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tnimout.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tnimout.nim c
 Failure: reMsgsDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/toutput.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/toutput.nim c
 Failure: reOutputsDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/toutputsub.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/toutputsub.nim c
 Failure: reOutputsDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/treject.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/treject.nim c
 Failure: reFilesDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tsortoutput.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tsortoutput.nim c
 Failure: reOutputsDiffer
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/ttimeout.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/ttimeout.nim c
 Failure: reTimeout
-FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tvalgrind.nim C
+FAIL: tests/shouldfail/tvalgrind.nim c
 Failure: reExitcodesDiffer
 '''
 """