diff --git a/test/electron/index.js b/test/electron/index.js
index 3e72fa6391c..0337a1421f7 100644
--- a/test/electron/index.js
+++ b/test/electron/index.js
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 const { app, BrowserWindow, ipcMain } = require('electron');
 const { tmpdir } = require('os');
 const { join } = require('path');
+const path = require('path');
+const mocha = require('mocha');
+const events = require('events');
 
 const optimist = require('optimist')
 	.describe('grep', 'only run tests matching <pattern>').alias('grep', 'g').alias('grep', 'f').string('grep')
@@ -14,6 +17,7 @@ const optimist = require('optimist')
 	.describe('build', 'run with build output (out-build)').boolean('build')
 	.describe('coverage', 'generate coverage report').boolean('coverage')
 	.describe('debug', 'open dev tools, keep window open, reuse app data').string('debug')
+	.describe('reporter', 'the mocha reporter').string('reporter').default('reporter', 'spec')
 	.describe('help', 'show the help').alias('help', 'h');
 
 const argv = optimist.argv;
@@ -27,6 +31,59 @@ if (!argv.debug) {
 	app.setPath('userData', join(tmpdir(), `vscode-tests-${Date.now()}`));
 }
 
+function deserializeSuite(suite) {
+	return {
+		title: suite.title,
+		fullTitle: () => suite.fullTitle,
+		timeout: () => suite.timeout,
+		retries: () => suite.retries,
+		enableTimeouts: () => suite.enableTimeouts,
+		slow: () => suite.slow,
+		bail: () => suite.bail,
+	};
+}
+
+function deserializeRunnable(runnable) {
+	return {
+		title: runnable.title,
+		fullTitle: () => runnable.fullTitle,
+		async: runnable.async,
+		slow: () => runnable.slow,
+		speed: runnable.speed,
+		duration: runnable.duration
+	};
+}
+
+function deserializeError(err) {
+	const inspect = err.inspect;
+	err.inspect = () => inspect;
+	return err;
+}
+
+class IPCRunner extends events.EventEmitter {
+
+	constructor() {
+		super();
+
+		this.didFail = false;
+
+		ipcMain.on('start', () => this.emit('start'));
+		ipcMain.on('end', () => this.emit('end'));
+		ipcMain.on('suite', (e, suite) => this.emit('suite', deserializeSuite(suite)));
+		ipcMain.on('suite end', (e, suite) => this.emit('suite end', deserializeSuite(suite)));
+		ipcMain.on('test', (e, test) => this.emit('test', deserializeRunnable(test)));
+		ipcMain.on('test end', (e, test) => this.emit('test end', deserializeRunnable(test)));
+		ipcMain.on('hook', (e, hook) => this.emit('hook', deserializeRunnable(hook)));
+		ipcMain.on('hook end', (e, hook) => this.emit('hook end', deserializeRunnable(hook)));
+		ipcMain.on('pass', (e, test) => this.emit('pass', deserializeRunnable(test)));
+		ipcMain.on('fail', (e, test, err) => {
+			this.didFail = true;
+			this.emit('fail', deserializeRunnable(test), deserializeError(err));
+		});
+		ipcMain.on('pending', (e, test) => this.emit('pending', deserializeRunnable(test)));
+	}
+}
+
 app.on('ready', () => {
 
 	const win = new BrowserWindow({
@@ -49,28 +106,20 @@ app.on('ready', () => {
 
 	win.loadURL(`file://${__dirname}/renderer.html`);
 
+	const reporterPath = path.join(path.dirname(require.resolve('mocha')), 'lib', 'reporters', argv.reporter);
+	let Reporter;
 
-	const _failures = [];
-	ipcMain.on('fail', (e, test) => {
-		_failures.push(test);
-		process.stdout.write('X');
-	});
-	ipcMain.on('pass', () => {
-		process.stdout.write('.');
-	});
+	try {
+		Reporter = require(reporterPath);
+	} catch (err) {
+		console.warn(`could not load reporter: ${argv.reporter}`);
+		Reporter = mocha.reporters.Spec;
+	}
 
-	ipcMain.on('done', () => {
+	const runner = new IPCRunner();
+	new Reporter(runner);
 
-		console.log(`\nDone with ${_failures.length} failures.\n`);
-
-		for (const fail of _failures) {
-			console.error(fail.title);
-			console.error(fail.stack);
-			console.error('\n');
-		}
-
-		if (!argv.debug) {
-			app.exit(_failures.length > 0 ? 1 : 0);
-		}
-	});
+	if (!argv.debug) {
+		ipcMain.on('all done', () => app.exit(runner.didFail ? 1 : 0));
+	}
 });
diff --git a/test/electron/renderer.js b/test/electron/renderer.js
index 0db3db2257a..21424034851 100644
--- a/test/electron/renderer.js
+++ b/test/electron/renderer.js
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ const minimatch = require('minimatch');
 const istanbul = require('istanbul');
 const i_remap = require('remap-istanbul/lib/remap');
 
-
 let _tests_glob = '**/test/**/*.test.js';
 let loader;
 let _out;
@@ -180,6 +179,58 @@ function loadTests(opts) {
 	});
 }
 
+function serializeSuite(suite) {
+	return {
+		title: suite.title,
+		fullTitle: suite.fullTitle(),
+		timeout: suite.timeout(),
+		retries: suite.retries(),
+		enableTimeouts: suite.enableTimeouts(),
+		slow: suite.slow(),
+		bail: suite.bail()
+	};
+}
+
+function serializeRunnable(runnable) {
+	return {
+		title: runnable.title,
+		fullTitle: runnable.fullTitle(),
+		async: runnable.async,
+		slow: runnable.slow(),
+		speed: runnable.speed,
+		duration: runnable.duration
+	};
+}
+
+function serializeError(err) {
+	return {
+		message: err.message,
+		stack: err.stack,
+		actual: err.actual,
+		expected: err.expected,
+		uncaught: err.uncaught,
+		showDiff: err.showDiff,
+		inspect: typeof err.inspect === 'function' ? err.inspect() : ''
+	};
+}
+
+class IPCReporter {
+
+	constructor(runner) {
+		runner.on('start', () => ipcRenderer.send('start'));
+		runner.on('end', () => ipcRenderer.send('end'));
+		runner.on('suite', suite => ipcRenderer.send('suite', serializeSuite(suite)));
+		runner.on('suite end', suite => ipcRenderer.send('suite end', serializeSuite(suite)));
+		runner.on('test', test => ipcRenderer.send('test', serializeRunnable(test)));
+		runner.on('test end', test => ipcRenderer.send('test end', serializeRunnable(test)));
+		runner.on('hook', hook => ipcRenderer.send('hook', serializeRunnable(hook)));
+		runner.on('hook end', hook => ipcRenderer.send('hook end', serializeRunnable(hook)));
+		runner.on('pass', test => ipcRenderer.send('pass', serializeRunnable(test)));
+		runner.on('fail', (test, err) => ipcRenderer.send('fail', serializeRunnable(test), serializeError(err)));
+		runner.on('pending', test => ipcRenderer.send('pending', serializeRunnable(test)));
+	}
+}
+
 function runTests(opts) {
 
 	return loadTests(opts).then(() => {
@@ -188,24 +239,15 @@ function runTests(opts) {
 			mocha.grep(opts.grep);
 		}
 
-		const runner = mocha.run(() => {
+		if (!opts.debug) {
+			mocha.reporter(IPCReporter);
+		}
+
+		mocha.run(() => {
 			createCoverageReport(opts).then(() => {
-				ipcRenderer.send('done');
+				ipcRenderer.send('all done');
 			});
 		});
-
-		runner.on('fail', function (test) {
-			ipcRenderer.send('fail', {
-				title: test.fullTitle(),
-				stack: test.err.stack
-			});
-			console.error(test.fullTitle());
-			console.error(test.err.stack);
-		});
-
-		runner.on('pass', function () {
-			ipcRenderer.send('pass');
-		});
 	});
 }