diff --git a/tests/framework/http_api.py b/tests/framework/http_api.py
index ea8efd3df4f..7534fe829d2 100644
--- a/tests/framework/http_api.py
+++ b/tests/framework/http_api.py
@@ -58,7 +58,12 @@ def __init__(self, api, resource, id_field=None):
     def get(self):
         """Make a GET request"""
         url = self._api.endpoint + self.resource
-        res = self._api.session.get(url)
+        try:
+            res = self._api.session.get(url)
+        except Exception as e:
+            if self._api.error_callback:
+                self._api.error_callback("GET", self.resource, str(e))
+            raise
         assert res.status_code == HTTPStatus.OK, res.json()
         return res
 
@@ -66,7 +71,12 @@ def request(self, method, path, **kwargs):
         """Make an HTTP request"""
         kwargs = {key: val for key, val in kwargs.items() if val is not None}
         url = self._api.endpoint + path
-        res = self._api.session.request(method, url, json=kwargs)
+        try:
+            res = self._api.session.request(method, url, json=kwargs)
+        except Exception as e:
+            if self._api.error_callback:
+                self._api.error_callback(method, path, str(e))
+            raise
         if res.status_code != HTTPStatus.NO_CONTENT:
             json = res.json()
             msg = res.content
@@ -95,7 +105,8 @@ def patch(self, **kwargs):
 class Api:
     """A simple HTTP client for the Firecracker API"""
 
-    def __init__(self, api_usocket_full_name):
+    def __init__(self, api_usocket_full_name, *, on_error=None):
+        self.error_callback = on_error
         self.socket = api_usocket_full_name
         url_encoded_path = urllib.parse.quote_plus(api_usocket_full_name)
         self.endpoint = DEFAULT_SCHEME + url_encoded_path
diff --git a/tests/framework/microvm.py b/tests/framework/microvm.py
index 7f67a5f9754..a6582515491 100644
--- a/tests/framework/microvm.py
+++ b/tests/framework/microvm.py
@@ -615,7 +615,12 @@ def spawn(
         # pylint: disable=subprocess-run-check
         # pylint: disable=too-many-branches
         self.jailer.setup()
-        self.api = Api(self.jailer.api_socket_path())
+        self.api = Api(
+            self.jailer.api_socket_path(),
+            on_error=lambda verb, uri, err_msg: self._dump_debug_information(
+                f"Error during {verb} {uri}: {err_msg}"
+            ),
+        )
 
         if log_file is not None:
             self.log_file = Path(self.path) / log_file
@@ -683,21 +688,33 @@ def spawn(
         if emit_metrics:
             self.monitors.append(FCMetricsMonitor(self))
 
-        # Wait for the jailer to create resources needed, and Firecracker to
-        # create its API socket.
-        # We expect the jailer to start within 80 ms. However, we wait for
-        # 1 sec since we are rechecking the existence of the socket 5 times
-        # and leave 0.2 delay between them.
-        if "no-api" not in self.jailer.extra_args:
-            self._wait_create()
+        # Ensure Firecracker is in as good a state as possible wrts guest
+        # responsiveness / API availability.
+        # If we are using a config file and it has a network device specified,
+        # use SSH to wait until guest userspace is available. If we are
+        # using the API, wait until the log message indicating the API server
+        # has finished initializing is printed (if logging is enabled), or
+        # until the API socket file has been created.
+        # If none of these apply, do a last ditch effort to make sure the
+        # Firecracker process itself at least came up by checking
+        # for the startup log message. Otherwise, you're on your own kid.
         if "config-file" in self.jailer.extra_args and self.iface:
             self.wait_for_ssh_up()
-        if self.log_file and log_level in ("Trace", "Debug", "Info"):
+        elif "no-api" not in self.jailer.extra_args:
+            if self.log_file and log_level in ("Trace", "Debug", "Info"):
+                self.check_log_message("API server started.")
+            else:
+                self._wait_for_api_socket()
+        elif self.log_file and log_level in ("Trace", "Debug", "Info"):
             self.check_log_message("Running Firecracker")
 
     @retry(wait=wait_fixed(0.2), stop=stop_after_attempt(5), reraise=True)
-    def _wait_create(self):
+    def _wait_for_api_socket(self):
         """Wait until the API socket and chroot folder are available."""
+
+        # We expect the jailer to start within 80 ms. However, we wait for
+        # 1 sec since we are rechecking the existence of the socket 5 times
+        # and leave 0.2 delay between them.
         os.stat(self.jailer.api_socket_path())
 
     @retry(wait=wait_fixed(0.2), stop=stop_after_attempt(5), reraise=True)
@@ -1096,10 +1113,12 @@ def thread_backtraces(self):
         backtraces = []
         for thread_name, thread_pids in utils.get_threads(self.firecracker_pid).items():
             for pid in thread_pids:
-                backtraces.append(
-                    f"{thread_name} ({pid=}):\n"
-                    f"{utils.check_output(f'cat /proc/{pid}/stack').stdout}"
-                )
+                try:
+                    stack = Path(f"/proc/{pid}/stack").read_text("UTF-8")
+                except FileNotFoundError:
+                    continue  # process might've gone away between get_threads() call and here
+
+                backtraces.append(f"{thread_name} ({pid=}):\n{stack}")
         return "\n".join(backtraces)
 
     def _dump_debug_information(self, what: str):
diff --git a/tests/framework/utils.py b/tests/framework/utils.py
index f047fbe2284..f35819236ad 100644
--- a/tests/framework/utils.py
+++ b/tests/framework/utils.py
@@ -34,11 +34,15 @@
 
 def get_threads(pid: int) -> dict:
     """Return dict consisting of child threads."""
-    threads_map = defaultdict(list)
-    proc = psutil.Process(pid)
-    for thread in proc.threads():
-        threads_map[psutil.Process(thread.id).name()].append(thread.id)
-    return threads_map
+    try:
+        proc = psutil.Process(pid)
+
+        threads_map = defaultdict(list)
+        for thread in proc.threads():
+            threads_map[psutil.Process(thread.id).name()].append(thread.id)
+        return threads_map
+    except psutil.NoSuchProcess:
+        return {}
 
 
 def get_cpu_affinity(pid: int) -> list:
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_api_server.py b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_api_server.py
index ee72d2043a3..b502dff7e6d 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_api_server.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_api_server.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ def test_api_socket_in_use(uvm_plain):
 
     sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX)
     sock.bind(microvm.jailer.api_socket_path())
-    microvm.spawn()
+    microvm.spawn(log_level="warn")
     msg = "Failed to open the API socket at: /run/firecracker.socket. Check that it is not already used."
     microvm.check_log_message(msg)
 
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_parameters.py b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_parameters.py
index 79af938b1f7..9c2c79d9552 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_parameters.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_parameters.py
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ def test_describe_snapshot_all_versions(
         fc_binary_path=firecracker_release.path,
         jailer_binary_path=firecracker_release.jailer,
     )
-    vm.spawn()
+    # FIXME: Once only FC versions >= 1.12 are supported, drop log_level="warn"
+    vm.spawn(log_level="warn")
     vm.basic_config(track_dirty_pages=True)
     vm.start()
     snapshot = vm.snapshot_diff()
diff --git a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_start.py b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_start.py
index 84b954e7038..dd0e1e0227e 100644
--- a/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_start.py
+++ b/tests/integration_tests/functional/test_cmd_line_start.py
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ def test_start_with_missing_metadata(uvm_plain):
 
     try:
         test_microvm.spawn()
-    except FileNotFoundError:
+    except:  # pylint: disable=bare-except
         pass
     finally:
         test_microvm.check_log_message(
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ def test_start_with_invalid_metadata(uvm_plain):
 
     try:
         test_microvm.spawn()
-    except FileNotFoundError:
+    except:  # pylint: disable=bare-except
         pass
     finally:
         test_microvm.check_log_message("MMDS error: metadata provided not valid json")