diff --git a/.github/workflows/cross-ppc.yml b/.github/workflows/cross-ppc.yml
index 7991ec15b..82785efee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cross-ppc.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cross-ppc.yml
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ on: [push, pull_request]
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.job }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
+
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    name: '${{ matrix.target.arch }}, ${{ matrix.sys.compiler }} ${{ matrix.sys.version }}'
+    name: '${{ matrix.target.platform }}, ${{ matrix.sys.compiler }} ${{ matrix.sys.version }}'
     strategy:
       matrix:
         target:
diff --git a/test/test_utils.hpp b/test/test_utils.hpp
index 1242a4cff..38fdcb8b9 100644
--- a/test/test_utils.hpp
+++ b/test/test_utils.hpp
@@ -406,28 +406,49 @@ namespace detail
     }
 }
 
-// Use make_context_info instead of INFO() to avoid MinGW GCC vtable issues
-// (see StringContextScope above).
-#define CHECK_BATCH_EQ(b1, b2)                             \
-    do                                                     \
-    {                                                      \
-        auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#b1, b1); \
-        auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#b2, b2); \
-        CHECK_UNARY(::detail::expect_batch_near(b1, b2));  \
+// We use make_context_info instead of INFO() to avoid MinGW GCC vtable issues
+// (see StringContextScope above). Unlike INFO(), make_context_info is eager:
+// it stringifies its operands at construction. To keep the happy path cheap
+// (these macros are called in tight loops and QEMU-emulated CI targets like
+// ppc64le blow past wall-clock otherwise), we first evaluate the predicate
+// and only build the context when it fails. On failure the predicate is
+// re-evaluated inside CHECK_UNARY so doctest records the expression text;
+// this requires the operands to be side-effect-free, which holds for all
+// call sites here.
+#define CHECK_BATCH_EQ(b1, b2)                                             \
+    do                                                                     \
+    {                                                                      \
+        const bool batches_are_near = ::detail::expect_batch_near(b1, b2); \
+        if (!batches_are_near)                                             \
+        {                                                                  \
+            auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#b1, b1);             \
+            auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#b2, b2);             \
+            CHECK_UNARY(batches_are_near);                                 \
+        }                                                                  \
     } while (0)
-#define CHECK_SCALAR_EQ(s1, s2)                            \
-    do                                                     \
-    {                                                      \
-        auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#s1, s1); \
-        auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#s2, s2); \
-        CHECK_UNARY(::detail::expect_scalar_near(s1, s2)); \
+
+#define CHECK_SCALAR_EQ(s1, s2)                                             \
+    do                                                                      \
+    {                                                                       \
+        const bool scalars_are_near = ::detail::expect_scalar_near(s1, s2); \
+        if (!scalars_are_near)                                              \
+        {                                                                   \
+            auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#s1, s1);              \
+            auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#s2, s2);              \
+            CHECK_UNARY(scalars_are_near);                                  \
+        }                                                                   \
     } while (0)
-#define CHECK_VECTOR_EQ(v1, v2)                            \
-    do                                                     \
-    {                                                      \
-        auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#v1, v1); \
-        auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#v2, v2); \
-        CHECK_UNARY(::detail::expect_vector_near(v1, v2)); \
+
+#define CHECK_VECTOR_EQ(v1, v2)                                             \
+    do                                                                      \
+    {                                                                       \
+        const bool vectors_are_near = ::detail::expect_vector_near(v1, v2); \
+        if (!vectors_are_near)                                              \
+        {                                                                   \
+            auto _ctx1 = ::detail::make_context_info(#v1, v1);              \
+            auto _ctx2 = ::detail::make_context_info(#v2, v2);              \
+            CHECK_UNARY(vectors_are_near);                                  \
+        }                                                                   \
     } while (0)
 
 /***********************