diff --git a/t/test-lib-functions.sh b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
index bd357704cc..5ee124332a 100644
--- a/t/test-lib-functions.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
@@ -136,17 +136,12 @@ test_tick () {
 	export GIT_COMMITTER_DATE GIT_AUTHOR_DATE
 }
 
-# Stop execution and start a shell. This is useful for debugging tests and
-# only makes sense together with "-v".
+# Stop execution and start a shell. This is useful for debugging tests.
 #
 # Be sure to remove all invocations of this command before submitting.
 
 test_pause () {
-	if test "$verbose" = t; then
-		"$SHELL_PATH" <&6 >&3 2>&4
-	else
-		error >&5 "test_pause requires --verbose"
-	fi
+	"$SHELL_PATH" <&6 >&5 2>&7
 }
 
 # Wrap git in gdb. Adding this to a command can make it easier to
@@ -154,7 +149,7 @@ test_pause () {
 #
 # Example: "debug git checkout master".
 debug () {
-	 GIT_TEST_GDB=1 "$@"
+	 GIT_TEST_GDB=1 "$@" <&6 >&5 2>&7
 }
 
 # Call test_commit with the arguments
diff --git a/t/test-lib.sh b/t/test-lib.sh
index 86d77c16dd..23c29bce6e 100644
--- a/t/test-lib.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib.sh
@@ -342,6 +342,7 @@ fi
 
 exec 5>&1
 exec 6<&0
+exec 7>&2
 if test "$verbose_log" = "t"
 then
 	exec 3>>"$GIT_TEST_TEE_OUTPUT_FILE" 4>&3