diff --git a/expect-lava/hold_uart.exp b/expect-lava/hold_uart.exp
index 4dc417b..f64cde9 100644
--- a/expect-lava/hold_uart.exp
+++ b/expect-lava/hold_uart.exp
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
 #
 
 # Original TCL expect/ArmCI description:
-# If we exit from the uart, and if that had lots of prints, then the model
-# will stall. This may also occur even when the uart does not have any print.
-# See: https://jira.arm.com/browse/SDDKW-43675. So, we wait here expect for
-# something that never arrives.
+#
+# If we exit from the UART when any of the model's UARTs receive lots of prints
+# then the model will stall, so we either wait for the UART to close naturally
+# or we wait for somebody to explicitly tell us to exit.
+#
+# https://jira.arm.com/browse/SDDKW-43675
 
 # This functionality is not required for LAVA tests, so this file is empty.
 # See also ../expect-post/hold_uart.exp
diff --git a/expect/handle-arguments.inc b/expect/handle-arguments.inc
index 53ee95b..1fe03d5 100644
--- a/expect/handle-arguments.inc
+++ b/expect/handle-arguments.inc
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@
     set telnet_pid [spawn cat $uart_log_file]
 }
 
+trap {
+    puts "<<test not yet complete, ignoring SIGINT>>"
+} SIGINT
+
 expect_after {
     eof {
         puts "<<stream closed prematurely, exiting>>"
diff --git a/expect/hold_uart.exp b/expect/hold_uart.exp
index eca2327..ab9a8df 100644
--- a/expect/hold_uart.exp
+++ b/expect/hold_uart.exp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2019-2020 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2019-2022 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 #
@@ -7,15 +7,4 @@
 #
 
 source [file join [file dirname [info script]] handle-arguments.inc]
-
-# If we exit from the uart, and if that had lots of prints, then the model
-# will stall. This may also occur even when the uart does not have any print.
-# See: https://jira.arm.com/browse/SDDKW-43675. So, we wait here expect for
-# something that never arrives.
-set timeout -1
-puts "<<holding terminal>>"
-expect {
-	"FOOBAR" {
-		exit_uart -1
-	}
-}
+source [file join [file dirname [info script]] uart-hold.inc]
diff --git a/expect/terminable.inc b/expect/terminable.inc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a96d51a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/expect/terminable.inc
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2022 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+#
+
+trap {
+    puts "<<received SIGINT, exiting>>"
+    exit_uart 0
+} SIGINT
diff --git a/expect/uart-hold.inc b/expect/uart-hold.inc
index a9e6c90..e03a83a 100644
--- a/expect/uart-hold.inc
+++ b/expect/uart-hold.inc
@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2019-2020 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2019-2022 Arm Limited. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 #
-# If we exit from a secondary uart, and if that had lots of prints, then the
-# model will stall. See: https://jira.arm.com/browse/SDDKW-43675. So, we wait
-# here expect for something that never arrives.
+
+#
+# If we exit from the UART when any of the model's UARTs receive lots of prints
+# then the model will stall, so we either wait for the UART to close naturally
+# or we wait for somebody to explicitly tell us to exit.
+#
+# https://jira.arm.com/browse/SDDKW-43675
+#
 
 set timeout -1
-puts "<<holding terminal>>"
-expect {
-	"FOOBAR" {
-		exit_uart -1
-	}
-}
+
+source [file join [file dirname [info script]] terminable.inc]
+
+puts "<<test complete, waiting for EOF or SIGINT>>"
+expect eof