diff --git a/man/systemd-tmpfiles.xml b/man/systemd-tmpfiles.xml
index 5f97e37025..15bc1ea889 100644
--- a/man/systemd-tmpfiles.xml
+++ b/man/systemd-tmpfiles.xml
@@ -263,16 +263,18 @@
   <refsect1>
     <title>Exit status</title>
 
-    <para>On success, 0 is returned. If the configuration was syntactically invalid (syntax errors,
-    missing arguments, …), so some lines had to be ignored, but no other errors occurred,
-    <constant>65</constant> is returned (<constant>EX_DATAERR</constant> from
-    <filename>/usr/include/sysexits.h</filename>). If the configuration was syntactically valid, but
-    could not be executed (lack of permissions, creation of files in missing directories, invalid
-    contents when writing to <filename>/sys/</filename> values, …), <constant>73</constant> is
-    returned (<constant>EX_CANTCREAT</constant> from <filename>/usr/include/sysexits.h</filename>).
-    Otherwise, <constant>1</constant> is returned (<constant>EXIT_FAILURE</constant> from
-    <filename>/usr/include/stdlib.h</filename>).
-    </para>
+    <para>On success, 0 is returned. If the configuration was syntactically invalid (syntax errors, missing
+    arguments, …), so some lines had to be ignored, but no other errors occurred, <constant>65</constant> is
+    returned (<constant>EX_DATAERR</constant> from <filename>/usr/include/sysexits.h</filename>). If the
+    configuration was syntactically valid, but could not be executed (lack of permissions, creation of files
+    in missing directories, invalid contents when writing to <filename>/sys/</filename> values, …),
+    <constant>73</constant> is returned (<constant>EX_CANTCREAT</constant> from
+    <filename>/usr/include/sysexits.h</filename>). Otherwise, <constant>1</constant> is returned
+    (<constant>EXIT_FAILURE</constant> from <filename>/usr/include/stdlib.h</filename>).</para>
+
+    <para>Note: when creating items, if the target already exists, but is of the wrong type or otherwise does
+    not match the requested state, and forced operation has not been requested with <literal>+</literal>,
+    a message is emitted, but the failure is otherwise ignored.</para>
   </refsect1>
 
   <refsect1>
diff --git a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
index f11b4eed7c..6b26dc8b9c 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
+++ b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
@@ -1656,10 +1656,9 @@ static int create_directory_or_subvolume(const char *path, mode_t mode, bool sub
                         return log_error_errno(r, "%s does not exist and cannot be created as the file system is read-only.", path);
                 if (k < 0)
                         return log_error_errno(k, "Failed to check if %s exists: %m", path);
-                if (!k) {
-                        log_warning("\"%s\" already exists and is not a directory.", path);
-                        return -EEXIST;
-                }
+                if (!k)
+                        return log_warning_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EEXIST),
+                                                 "\"%s\" already exists and is not a directory.", path);
 
                 *creation = CREATION_EXISTING;
         } else
@@ -1742,10 +1741,10 @@ static int empty_directory(Item *i, const char *path) {
         }
         if (r < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(r, "is_dir() failed on path %s: %m", path);
-        if (r == 0)
-                return log_error_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EEXIST),
-                                       "'%s' already exists and is not a directory.",
-                                       path);
+        if (r == 0) {
+                log_warning("\"%s\" already exists and is not a directory.", path);
+                return 0;
+        }
 
         return path_set_perms(i, path);
 }
@@ -1804,7 +1803,7 @@ static int create_device(Item *i, mode_t file_type) {
                                         return log_error_errno(r, "Failed to create device node \"%s\": %m", i->path);
                                 creation = CREATION_FORCE;
                         } else {
-                                log_debug("%s is not a device node.", i->path);
+                                log_warning("\"%s\" already exists is not a device node.", i->path);
                                 return 0;
                         }
                 } else
@@ -2575,7 +2574,9 @@ static int patch_var_run(const char *fname, unsigned line, char **path) {
         /* Also log about this briefly. We do so at LOG_NOTICE level, as we fixed up the situation automatically, hence
          * there's no immediate need for action by the user. However, in the interest of making things less confusing
          * to the user, let's still inform the user that these snippets should really be updated. */
-        log_syntax(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, fname, line, 0, "Line references path below legacy directory /var/run/, updating %s → %s; please update the tmpfiles.d/ drop-in file accordingly.", *path, n);
+        log_syntax(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, fname, line, 0,
+                   "Line references path below legacy directory /var/run/, updating %s → %s; please update the tmpfiles.d/ drop-in file accordingly.",
+                   *path, n);
 
         free_and_replace(*path, n);
 
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-22.02.sh b/test/units/testsuite-22.02.sh
index 54dcb405b0..c337cd6e05 100755
--- a/test/units/testsuite-22.02.sh
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-22.02.sh
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ chmod 777 /tmp/e/3/d*
 touch /tmp/e/3/f1
 chmod 644 /tmp/e/3/f1
 
-! systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
+systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
 e     /tmp/e/3/*   0755 daemon daemon - -
 EOF
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ test $(stat -c %U:%G:%a /tmp/C/1/f1) = "daemon:daemon:755"
 test -d /tmp/C/2
 test $(stat -c %U:%G:%a /tmp/C/2/f1) = "daemon:daemon:755"
 
-! systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
+systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
 C     /tmp/C/3    0755 daemon daemon - /tmp/C/3-origin
 EOF
 
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-22.04.sh b/test/units/testsuite-22.04.sh
index f916086b1e..fc90ab4dc7 100755
--- a/test/units/testsuite-22.04.sh
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-22.04.sh
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ EOF
 test -p /tmp/p/fifo1
 test $(stat -c %U:%G:%a /tmp/p/fifo1) = "root:root:666"
 
-# it should refuse to overwrite an existing file
-! systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
+# Refuse to overwrite an existing file. Error is not propagated.
+systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
 p     /tmp/p/f1    0666 - - - -
 EOF