diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_dist_cinclude.pl b/test_regress/t/t_dist_cinclude.pl
index da88adfc7..f006eae01 100755
--- a/test_regress/t/t_dist_cinclude.pl
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_dist_cinclude.pl
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ if (!-r catfile($root, ".git")) {
         next if $file =~ m!include/vltstd/vpi_user.h!;  # IEEE Standard file - can't change it
         next if $file =~ m!include/gtkwave/!;  # Standard file - can't change it
         my $filename = catfile($root, $file);
+        next if !-r $filename;
         @lines = split /\n/, file_contents($filename);
         @include_lines = grep(/include/, @lines);
         foreach my $line (@include_lines) {
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_dist_copyright.pl b/test_regress/t/t_dist_copyright.pl
index 809b9af7b..065f54ff5 100755
--- a/test_regress/t/t_dist_copyright.pl
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_dist_copyright.pl
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ if (!$::Driver) { use FindBin; exec("$FindBin::Bin/bootstrap.pl", @ARGV, $0); di
 use IO::File;
 use POSIX qw(strftime);
 use strict;
+use File::Spec::Functions 'catfile';
 
 scenarios(dist => 1);
 
@@ -74,8 +75,10 @@ if (!-r "$root/.git") {
         $added{$1} = 1;
     }
 
-    foreach my $filename (sort keys %files) {
-        my $fh = IO::File->new("<$root/$filename") or error("$! $filename");
+    foreach my $file (sort keys %files) {
+        my $filename = catfile($root, $file);
+        next if !-r $filename;
+        my $fh = IO::File->new("<$filename") or error("$! $filename");
         next if !$fh;
         my $spdx;
         my $copyright;
@@ -86,12 +89,12 @@ if (!-r "$root/.git") {
             } elsif ($line =~ /Copyright 20[0-9][0-9]/) {
                 $copyright = $line;
                 if ($line =~ /Wilson Snyder/) {
-                } elsif (!$added{$filename} && $line =~ /Antmicro|Geza Lore|Todd Strader/) {
-                } elsif ($filename =~ /$Exempt_Author_Re/) {
+                } elsif (!$added{$file} && $line =~ /Antmicro|Geza Lore|Todd Strader/) {
+                } elsif ($file =~ /$Exempt_Author_Re/) {
                 } else {
-                    my $yeardash = ($filename =~ m!test_regress/t!) ? $year : $year."-".$year;
+                    my $yeardash = ($file =~ m!test_regress/t!) ? $year : $year."-".$year;
                     warn "   ".$copyright;
-                    error("$filename: Please use standard 'Copyright $yeardash by Wilson Snyder'");
+                    error("$file: Please use standard 'Copyright $yeardash by Wilson Snyder'");
                 }
             } elsif ($line =~ m!Creative Commons Public Domain!
                      || $line =~ m!freely copied and/or distributed!
@@ -100,14 +103,14 @@ if (!-r "$root/.git") {
             }
         }
         my $release_note;
-        if ($release && $filename !~ /$Release_Ok_Re/) {
+        if ($release && $file !~ /$Release_Ok_Re/) {
             $release_note = " (has copyright release, but not part of $Release_Ok_Re)";
         }
         if (!$copyright && (!$release || $release_note)) {
-            error("$filename: Please add standard 'Copyright $year ...', similar to in other files" . $release_note);
+            error("$file: Please add standard 'Copyright $year ...', similar to in other files" . $release_note);
         }
         if (!$spdx) {
-            error("$filename: Please add standard 'SPDX-License_Identifier: ...', similar to in other files");
+            error("$file: Please add standard 'SPDX-License_Identifier: ...', similar to in other files");
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_dist_fixme.pl b/test_regress/t/t_dist_fixme.pl
index 0f36f4486..20079a96c 100755
--- a/test_regress/t/t_dist_fixme.pl
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_dist_fixme.pl
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ if (!$::Driver) { use FindBin; exec("$FindBin::Bin/bootstrap.pl", @ARGV, $0); di
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-3.0-only OR Artistic-2.0
 
 use IO::File;
+use File::Spec::Functions 'catfile';
 
 scenarios(dist => 1);
 
@@ -28,7 +29,9 @@ if (!-r "$root/.git") {
     my $n = 0;
     my $re = qr/(FIX[M]E|BO[Z]O)/;
     foreach my $file (split /\s+/, $files) {
-        my $wholefile = file_contents($root . "/" . $file);
+        my $filename = catfile($root, $file);
+        next if !-r $filename;
+        my $wholefile = file_contents($filename);
         if ($wholefile =~ /$re/) {
             $names{$file} = 1;
         }