diff -u b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/src/Functional/HelpTopicsSyntaxTest.php b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/src/Functional/HelpTopicsSyntaxTest.php
--- b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/src/Functional/HelpTopicsSyntaxTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/src/Functional/HelpTopicsSyntaxTest.php
@@ -64,25 +64,44 @@
     foreach (array_keys($definitions) as $id) {
       $this->verifyTopic($id, $definitions, $top_level);
     }
+  }
 
-    // Create a single topic that is expected to fail discovery.
-    vfsStream::setup('root');
-    vfsStream::create([
-      'modules' => [
-        'test' => [
-          'help_topics' => [
-            // An invalid topic missing required details.
-            'test.topic.html.twig' => '',
-          ],
-        ],
+  /**
+   * Tests that help topic discovery fails in expected ways.
+   */
+  public function testDiscoveryExceptions() {
+    $base_bad_directory = \Drupal::service('extension.list.module')->getPath('help_topics_test') . '/bad_help_topics/discovery/';
+    $discovery_problems = [
+      [
+        'subdirectory' => 'provider',
+        'file' => 'test.topic.html.twig',
+        'message' => "file name should begin with 'expected_failure'",
+      ],
+      [
+        'subdirectory' => 'top_level',
+        'file' => 'expected_failure.topic.html.twig',
+        'message' => "contains invalid meta tag with name='help_topic:top_level', the 'content' property should not exist",
       ],
-    ]);
-    $fail_directories['expected_failure'] = vfsStream::url('root/modules/test/help_topics');
+      [
+        'subdirectory' => 'bad_meta',
+        'file' => 'expected_failure.topic.html.twig',
+        'message' => "contains invalid meta tag with name='foo'",
+      ],
+      [
+        'subdirectory' => 'no_label',
+        'file' => 'expected_failure.topic.html.twig',
+        'message' => "does not contain the required meta tag with name='help_topic:label'",
+      ],
+    ];
 
-    // Check that just this expected failure topic does throw an exception.
-    $this->expectException(DiscoveryException::class);
-    $this->expectExceptionMessage("vfs://root/modules/test/help_topics/test.topic.html.twig should begin with 'expected_failure.'");
-    $this->discoverAllTopics($fail_directories);
+    foreach ($discovery_problems as $info) {
+      $fail_directories = [
+        'expected_failure' => $base_bad_directory . $info['subdirectory'],
+      ];
+      $this->expectException(DiscoveryException::class);
+      $this->expectExceptionMessage($fail_directories['expected_failure'] . '/' . $info['file'] . ' ' . $info['message']);
+      $this->discoverAllTopics($fail_directories);
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -168,14 +187,14 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Lists the extension directories of a certain type.
+   * Lists the extension help topic directories of a certain type.
    *
    * @param string $type
    *   The type of extension to list: module, theme, or profile.
    *
    * @return string[]
-   *   An array of all of the directories of this type of extension, keyed by
-   *   extension short name.
+   *   An array of all of the help topic directories for this type of
+   *   extension, keyed by extension short name.
    */
   protected function listDirectories($type) {
     $directories = [];
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/help_topics/src/HelpTopicDiscovery.php
+++ b/core/modules/help_topics/src/HelpTopicDiscovery.php
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ public function findAll() {
         //   help_topics special case once Help Topics is stable and core
         //   modules can provide their own help topics.
         if ($provider !== 'help_topics' && $provider !== $file_name_provider) {
-          throw new DiscoveryException("$file should begin with '$provider.'");
+          throw new DiscoveryException("$file file name should begin with '$provider'");
         }
         $data = [
           // The plugin ID is derived from the filename. The extension
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/modules/help_topics_test/bad_help_topics/discovery/bad_meta/expected_failure.topic.html.twig
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<meta name="foo" content="something" />
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/modules/help_topics_test/bad_help_topics/discovery/no_label/expected_failure.topic.html.twig
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<meta name="help_topic:top_level" content="" />
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/help_topics/tests/modules/help_topics_test/bad_help_topics/discovery/top_level/expected_failure.topic.html.twig
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<meta name="help_topic:top_level" content="something" />