diff --git a/rust/src/history.rs b/rust/src/history.rs
index ffe70500..1a1a38de 100644
--- a/rust/src/history.rs
+++ b/rust/src/history.rs
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ fn history_get_oldest_deployment_msg_timestamp() -> Result<Option<u64>> {
     let mut journal = journal::Journal::open(journal::JournalFiles::System, false, true)?;
     journal.seek(journal::JournalSeek::Head)?;
     journal.match_add("MESSAGE_ID", RPMOSTREE_DEPLOY_MSG)?;
-    while let Some(rec) = journal.next_record()? {
+    while let Some(rec) = journal.next_entry()? {
         if let Some(ts) = map_to_u64(rec.get("DEPLOYMENT_TIMESTAMP")) {
             return Ok(Some(ts));
         }
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ impl HistoryCtx {
     /// Goes to the next OSTree boot msg in the journal and returns its marker.
     fn find_next_boot_marker(&mut self) -> Result<Option<BootMarker>> {
         self.set_search_mode(JournalSearchMode::BootMsgs)?;
-        while let Some(rec) = self.journal.previous_record()? {
+        while let Some(rec) = self.journal.previous_entry()? {
             if let Some(Marker::Boot(m)) = self.boot_record_to_marker(&rec)? {
                 return Ok(Some(m));
             }
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ impl HistoryCtx {
     /// marker for it, and returns it.
     fn find_next_marker(&mut self) -> Result<Option<Marker>> {
         self.set_search_mode(JournalSearchMode::BootAndDeploymentMsgs)?;
-        while let Some(rec) = self.journal.previous_record()? {
+        while let Some(rec) = self.journal.previous_entry()? {
             if let Some(marker) = self.record_to_marker(&rec)? {
                 return Ok(Some(marker));
             }
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ mod mock_journal {
             self.msg_ids.push(msg_id.into());
             Ok(())
         }
-        pub fn previous_record(&mut self) -> Result<Option<JournalRecord>> {
+        pub fn previous_entry(&mut self) -> Result<Option<JournalRecord>> {
             while let Some((timestamp, record)) = self.entries.pop() {
                 if self.msg_ids.contains(record.get("MESSAGE_ID").unwrap()) {
                     self.current_timestamp = Some(timestamp);
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ mod mock_journal {
             Ok(None)
         }
         // This is only used by the prune path, which we're not unit testing.
-        pub fn next_record(&mut self) -> Result<Option<JournalRecord>> {
+        pub fn next_entry(&mut self) -> Result<Option<JournalRecord>> {
             unimplemented!();
         }
     }
diff --git a/rust/src/journal.rs b/rust/src/journal.rs
index a8885dce..ed26debf 100644
--- a/rust/src/journal.rs
+++ b/rust/src/journal.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 OR MIT
  */
 
-use anyhow::Result;
+use anyhow::{bail, Result};
 use systemd::id128::Id128;
 use systemd::journal;
 
@@ -27,11 +27,14 @@ fn print_staging_failure_msg(msg: Option<&str>) -> Result<()> {
 /// Look for a failure from ostree-finalized-stage.service in the journal of the previous boot.
 fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     let mut j = journal::Journal::open(journal::JournalFiles::System, false, true)?;
+    j.seek(journal::JournalSeek::Head)?;
 
     // first, go to the first entry of the current boot
     let boot_id = Id128::from_boot()?;
     j.match_add("_BOOT_ID", boot_id.to_string().as_str())?;
-    j.seek(journal::JournalSeek::Head)?;
+    if j.next_entry()?.is_none() {
+        bail!("couldn't find current boot in journal");
+    }
     j.match_flush()?;
 
     // Now, go backwards until we hit the first entry from the previous boot. In theory that should
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     // https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/dc00966228ff90c554fd034e588ea55eb605ec52
     let mut previous_boot_id: Id128 = boot_id.clone();
     while previous_boot_id == boot_id {
-        match j.previous_record()? {
+        match j.previous_entry()? {
             Some(_) => previous_boot_id = j.monotonic_timestamp()?.1,
             None => return Ok(()), // no previous boot!
         }
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     j.match_add("MESSAGE_ID", OSTREE_DEPLOYMENT_FINALIZING_MSG_ID)?;
     j.match_add("SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER", "ostree")?;
     j.match_add("_BOOT_ID", previous_boot_id.as_str())?;
-    let ostree_pid = match j.previous_record()? {
+    let ostree_pid = match j.previous_entry()? {
         None => return Ok(()), // didn't run (or staged deployment was cleaned up)
         Some(mut rec) => rec.remove("_PID").unwrap(),
     };
@@ -69,7 +72,7 @@ fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     j.match_add("_PID", ostree_pid.as_str())?;
     j.match_add("_BOOT_ID", previous_boot_id.as_str())?;
 
-    if j.next_record()? != None {
+    if j.next_entry()? != None {
         return Ok(()); // finished successfully!
     }
 
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@ fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     j.match_add("_BOOT_ID", previous_boot_id.as_str())?;
 
     let mut exited = false;
-    while let Some(rec) = j.next_record()? {
+    while let Some(rec) = j.next_entry()? {
         if let Some(msg) = rec.get("MESSAGE") {
             if msg.contains("Failed with result") || msg.contains("control process exited") {
                 if !msg.contains("exit-code") && !msg.contains("code=exited") {
@@ -118,7 +121,7 @@ fn journal_print_staging_failure() -> Result<()> {
     // systemd can be timestamped *after* the error msg (stdout transport)...
     j.match_add("_TRANSPORT", "stdout")?;
 
-    if let Some(rec) = j.previous_record()? {
+    if let Some(rec) = j.previous_entry()? {
         if let Some(msg) = rec.get("MESSAGE") {
             // only print the msg if it starts with 'error:', otherwise some other really
             // weird thing happened that might span multiple lines?