diff --git a/palace/cmake/CheckCompilerFeatureSupport.cmake b/palace/cmake/CheckCompilerFeatureSupport.cmake
index ff439c8866..ba96987147 100644
--- a/palace/cmake/CheckCompilerFeatureSupport.cmake
+++ b/palace/cmake/CheckCompilerFeatureSupport.cmake
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@ int main()
     set(${_has_std_fs_support} TRUE PARENT_SCOPE)
     set(${_extra_fs_libraries} stdc++fs PARENT_SCOPE)
   else()
+    if(NOT STD_FS_TEST_COMPILED)
+      message(STATUS "std::filesystem test compile output: ${STD_FS_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT}")
+    else()
+      message(STATUS "std::filesystem test run output: ${STD_FS_TEST_OUTPUT}")
+    endif()
     set(${_has_std_fs_support} FALSE PARENT_SCOPE)
     set(${_extra_fs_libraries} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
   endif()
diff --git a/palace/cmake/PkgConfigHelpers.cmake b/palace/cmake/PkgConfigHelpers.cmake
index 9f81476634..c2a5446582 100644
--- a/palace/cmake/PkgConfigHelpers.cmake
+++ b/palace/cmake/PkgConfigHelpers.cmake
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ function(find_libceed_pkgconfig _libceed_deps _libceed_target)
   set(${_libceed_target} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
-function(check_petsc_build _petsc_target _petsc_test_success)
+function(check_petsc_build _petsc_target _petsc_test_success _petsc_test_error)
   set(PETSC_LIB_TEST_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/CMakeFiles/try_run)
   set(PETSC_LIB_TEST_CPP ${PETSC_LIB_TEST_DIR}/petsc_test_lib.cpp)
   file(WRITE ${PETSC_LIB_TEST_CPP}
@@ -135,6 +135,11 @@ int main()
   if(PETSC_TEST_COMPILED AND PETSC_TEST_EXITCODE EQUAL 0)
     set(${_petsc_test_success} TRUE PARENT_SCOPE)
   else()
+    if(NOT PETSC_TEST_COMPILED)
+      set(${_petsc_test_error} "${PETSC_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+    else()
+      set(${_petsc_test_error} "${PETSC_TEST_OUTPUT}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+    endif()
     set(${_petsc_test_success} FALSE PARENT_SCOPE)
   endif()
 endfunction()
@@ -149,7 +154,7 @@ function(find_petsc_pkgconfig _petsc_deps _petsc_target)
     return()
   endif()
   message(STATUS "Found PETSc: ${PETSc_VERSION}")
-  check_petsc_build("PkgConfig::PETSc;${_petsc_deps}" PETSC_TEST_SUCCESS)
+  check_petsc_build("PkgConfig::PETSc;${_petsc_deps}" PETSC_TEST_SUCCESS PETSC_TEST_ERROR)
   if(PETSC_TEST_SUCCESS)
     message(STATUS "PETSc test program - Successful")
     set(${_petsc_target} PkgConfig::PETSc PARENT_SCOPE)
@@ -166,22 +171,25 @@ function(find_petsc_pkgconfig _petsc_deps _petsc_target)
   endif()
   set(PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE ${PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE_BACKUP})
   if(NOT PETSc_STATIC_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "PETSc test program output:\n${PETSC_TEST_ERROR}")
     set(${_petsc_target} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
     return()
   endif()
-  check_petsc_build("PkgConfig::PETSc_STATIC;${_petsc_deps}" PETSC_TEST_SUCCESS)
-  if(PETSC_TEST_SUCCESS)
+  check_petsc_build("PkgConfig::PETSc_STATIC;${_petsc_deps}" PETSC_STATIC_TEST_SUCCESS PETSC_STATIC_TEST_ERROR)
+  if(PETSC_STATIC_TEST_SUCCESS)
     message(STATUS "PETSc test program with static linkage - Success")
     set(${_petsc_target} PkgConfig::PETSc_STATIC PARENT_SCOPE)
     return()
   endif()
 
-  # Not able to build a PETSc test program
+  # Not able to build a PETSc test program with either linkage
   message(STATUS "PETSc test program with static linkage - Failed")
+  message(STATUS "PETSc shared linkage output:\n${PETSC_TEST_ERROR}")
+  message(STATUS "PETSc static linkage output:\n${PETSC_STATIC_TEST_ERROR}")
   set(${_petsc_target} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
-function(check_slepc_build _slepc_target _slepc_test_success)
+function(check_slepc_build _slepc_target _slepc_test_success _slepc_test_error)
   set(SLEPC_LIB_TEST_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/CMakeFiles/try_run)
   set(SLEPC_LIB_TEST_CPP ${SLEPC_LIB_TEST_DIR}/slepc_test_lib.cpp)
   file(WRITE ${SLEPC_LIB_TEST_CPP}
@@ -208,13 +216,14 @@ int main()
     COMPILE_OUTPUT_VARIABLE SLEPC_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT
     RUN_OUTPUT_VARIABLE SLEPC_TEST_OUTPUT
   )
-  # message(STATUS "SLEPC_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT: ${SLEPC_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT}")
-  # message(STATUS "SLEPC_TEST_OUTPUT: ${SLEPC_TEST_OUTPUT}")
   if(SLEPC_TEST_COMPILED AND SLEPC_TEST_EXITCODE EQUAL 0)
-    # message(STATUS "SLEPc test program - Successful")
     set(${_slepc_test_success} TRUE PARENT_SCOPE)
   else()
-    # message(STATUS "SLEPc test program - Failed")
+    if(NOT SLEPC_TEST_COMPILED)
+      set(${_slepc_test_error} "${SLEPC_TEST_COMPILE_OUTPUT}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+    else()
+      set(${_slepc_test_error} "${SLEPC_TEST_OUTPUT}" PARENT_SCOPE)
+    endif()
     set(${_slepc_test_success} FALSE PARENT_SCOPE)
   endif()
 endfunction()
@@ -229,7 +238,7 @@ function(find_slepc_pkgconfig _slepc_deps _slepc_target)
     return()
   endif()
   message(STATUS "Found SLEPc: ${SLEPc_VERSION}")
-  check_slepc_build("PkgConfig::SLEPc;${_slepc_deps}" SLEPC_TEST_SUCCESS)
+  check_slepc_build("PkgConfig::SLEPc;${_slepc_deps}" SLEPC_TEST_SUCCESS SLEPC_TEST_ERROR)
   if(SLEPC_TEST_SUCCESS)
     message(STATUS "SLEPc test program - Success")
     set(${_slepc_target} PkgConfig::SLEPc PARENT_SCOPE)
@@ -246,17 +255,20 @@ function(find_slepc_pkgconfig _slepc_deps _slepc_target)
   endif()
   set(PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE ${PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE_BACKUP})
   if(NOT SLEPc_STATIC_FOUND)
+    message(STATUS "SLEPc test program output:\n${SLEPC_TEST_ERROR}")
     set(${_slepc_target} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
     return()
   endif()
-  check_slepc_build("PkgConfig::SLEPc_STATIC;${_slepc_deps}" SLEPC_TEST_SUCCESS)
-  if(SLEPC_TEST_SUCCESS)
+  check_slepc_build("PkgConfig::SLEPc_STATIC;${_slepc_deps}" SLEPC_STATIC_TEST_SUCCESS SLEPC_STATIC_TEST_ERROR)
+  if(SLEPC_STATIC_TEST_SUCCESS)
     message(STATUS "SLEPc test program with static linkage - Successful")
     set(${_slepc_target} PkgConfig::SLEPc_STATIC PARENT_SCOPE)
     return()
   endif()
 
-  # Not able to build a SLEPc test program
+  # Not able to build a SLEPc test program with either linkage
   message(STATUS "SLEPc test program with static linkage - Failed")
+  message(STATUS "SLEPc shared linkage output:\n${SLEPC_TEST_ERROR}")
+  message(STATUS "SLEPc static linkage output:\n${SLEPC_STATIC_TEST_ERROR}")
   set(${_slepc_target} "" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()