diff --git a/util/check-format-test-negatives.c b/util/check-format-test-negatives.c
index f6b1bfb31920ff..3b0bd6e7dd5ab4 100644
--- a/util/check-format-test-negatives.c
+++ b/util/check-format-test-negatives.c
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ float z = 1e-6 * (-1) * b[+6] * 1e+1 * (a)->f * (long)+1
     - (tmstart.tv_sec + tmstart.tv_nsec * 1e-9);
 struct st = {-1, 0};
 int x = (y <<= 1) + (z <= 5.0);
+++*pnum;
 
 const OPTIONS passwd_options[] = {
     {"aixmd5", OPT_AIXMD5, '-', "AIX MD5-based password algorithm"},
diff --git a/util/check-format-test-positives.c b/util/check-format-test-positives.c
index e5dacdfe71b92b..69479f945773ad 100644
--- a/util/check-format-test-positives.c
+++ b/util/check-format-test-positives.c
@@ -58,12 +58,13 @@ typedef struct  {   /*@0 extra space in code, reported unless sloppy-spc */
            w = 0 /*@ hanging expr indent off by 1, or 3 for lines after '{' */
              && 1,  /*@ hanging expr indent off by 3, or -1 for leading '&&' */
          x = 1,     /*@ hanging expr indent off by -1 */
-          y,z       /*@ no space after ',', reported unless sloppy-spc */
-    } e_member ;    /*@ space before ';', reported unless sloppy-spc */
-    int v[1;        /*@ unclosed bracket in type declaration */
+          y,z,      /*@ missing space after ',', reported unless sloppy-spc */
+          zz}       /*@ code before closing brace '}' */
+    e_member ;      /*@ space before ';', reported unless sloppy-spc */
+    int v[1;        /*@ unclosed bracket '[' in variable declaration */
    union {          /*@ statement/type declaration indent off by -1 */
-        struct{} s; /*@ no space before '{', reported unless sloppy-spc */
-    }u_member;      /*@ no space after '}', reported unless sloppy-spc */
+        struct{} s; /*@ missing space before '{', reported unless sloppy-spc */
+    }u_member;      /*@ missing space after '}', reported unless sloppy-spc */
     } s_type;       /*@ statement/type declaration indent off by 4 */
 int* somefunc();    /*@ no space before '*' in type decl, r unless sloppy-spc */
 void main(int n) {  /*@ opening brace at end of function definition header */
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ int f (int a,       /*@ space after fn before '(', reported unless sloppy-spc */
     default: ;      /*@ code after 'default:' */
 }                   /*@ statement indent off by -4 */
     return(      /*@ missing space after 'return', reported unless sloppy-spc */
-           x); }    /*@ code before block-level '}' */
+           x); }    /*@ code before '}' in stmt/expr/typedecl */
 /* Here the tool should stop complaining apart from the below issues at EOF */
 
 void f_looong_body()
diff --git a/util/check-format.pl b/util/check-format.pl
index 52981753d99007..2767e0aa237f2b 100755
--- a/util/check-format.pl
+++ b/util/check-format.pl
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ sub update_nested_indents { # may reset $in_paren_expr and in this case also res
             if ($c eq "{") { # '{' in any context
                 $in_block_decls = 0 if !$in_expr && $in_typedecl == 0;
                 # cancel newly hanging_offset if opening brace '{' is after non-whitespace non-comment:
-                $hanging_offset -= INDENT_LEVEL if $hanging_offset > 0 && $head =~ m/[^\s\@]/;
+                $hanging_offset -= INDENT_LEVEL if $hanging_offset > 0 && $head =~ m/[^\s@]/;
                 push @nested_block_indents, $block_indent;
                 push @nested_hanging_offsets, $in_expr ? $hanging_offset : 0;
                 push @nested_in_typedecl, $in_typedecl if $in_typedecl != 0;
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ sub update_nested_indents { # may reset $in_paren_expr and in this case also res
                 $hanging_offset = 0;
             }
             if ($c ne "{" || $in_stmt) { # for '{' inside stmt/expr (not: decl), for '(', '[', or '?' anywhere
-                $tail =~ m/^([\s@]*)([^\s\@])/;
+                $tail =~ m/^([\s@]*)([^\s@])/;
                 push @nested_indents, defined $2
                     ? $i + 1 + length($1) # actual indentation of following non-space non-comment
                     : $c ne "{" ? +($i + 1)  # just after '(' or '[' if only whitespace thereafter
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ sub update_nested_indents { # may reset $in_paren_expr and in this case also res
                     check_nested_nonblock_indents("(expr)");
                     $in_paren_expr = $in_expr = 0;
                     report("code after (expr)")
-                        if $tail =~ m/^([^{]*)/ && $1 =~ m/[^\s\@;]/; # non-space non-';' before any '{'
+                        if $tail =~ m/^([^{]*)/ && $1 =~ m/[^\s@;]/; # non-space non-';' before any '{'
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -858,8 +858,8 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
         } elsif (m/^([\s@]*)(static_)?ASN1_ITEM_TEMPLATE_END(\W|$)/) { # workaround for ASN1 macro indented as '}'
             $local_offset = -INDENT_LEVEL;
             $expr_indent = 0;
-        } elsif (m/;.*?\}/) { # expr ends with ';' before '}'
-            report("code before '}'");
+        } elsif (m/^([^{}]*?)\}/ && $1 =~ m/[^\s@]/) { # code before '}' not containing '{'
+            report("code before '}' in stmt/expr/decl");
         }
     }
     if (@in_do_hanging_offsets != 0 && # note there is nothing like "unexpected 'while'"
@@ -880,9 +880,9 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
     }
     if (!$in_stmt) { # at block level, i.e., outside expr/stmt/type decl/var def/fn hdr
         $if_maybe_terminated = 0;
-        if (my ($head, $before, $tail) = m/^([\s@]*([^{}]*)\})[\s@]*(.*)$/) { # leading closing '}', but possibly
-                                                                              # with non-whitespace non-'{' before
-            report("code after '}'") unless $tail eq "" || $tail =~ m/(else|while|OSSL_TRACE_END)(\W|$)/;
+        if (my ($head, $before, $tail) = m/^([\s@]*([^{}]*)\})[\s@]*(.*)$/) {
+            # first closing '}', possibly with non-whitespace non-'{' before
+            report("code after '}' at block level") unless $tail eq "" || $tail =~ m/(else|while|OSSL_TRACE_END)(\W|$)/;
             my $outermost_level = @nested_block_indents == 1 && @nested_block_indents[0] == 0;
             if (!$sloppy_bodylen && $outermost_level && $line_body_start != 0) {
                 my $body_len = $line - $line_body_start - 1;
@@ -891,7 +891,7 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
                 $line_body_start = 0;
             }
             if ($before ne "") { # non-whitespace non-'{' before '}'
-                report("code before '}'");
+                report("code before '}' at block level");
             } else { # leading '}' outside stmt, any preceding blinded comment must not be matched
                 $in_block_decls = -1;
                 $local_offset = $block_indent + $hanging_offset - INDENT_LEVEL;
@@ -970,6 +970,7 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
     report("more than one stmt") if !m/(^|\W)(for|(OSSL_)?LIST_FOREACH(_\w+)?)(\W.*|$)/ && # no 'for' - TODO improve matching
         m/;.*;/; # two or more terminators ';', so more than one statement
 
+#    report("code before '}'") if m/[^\s@\}][\s@]*\}/; # closing brace '}'   
     # check for code block containing a single line/statement
     if ($line_before2 > 0 && !$outermost_level && # within function body
         $in_typedecl == 0 && @nested_indents == 0 && # neither within type declaration nor inside stmt/expr
@@ -1036,9 +1037,9 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
 
     # set $hanging_offset and $keyword_opening_brace for do/else
     if (my ($head, $mid, $tail) = m/(^|^.*\W)(else|do)(\W.*|$)$/) { # last else/do, where 'do' is preferred, but not #else
-        my $code_before = $head =~ m/[^\s\@}]/; # leading non-whitespace non-comment non-'}'
+        my $code_before = $head =~ m/[^\s@}]/; # leading non-whitespace non-comment non-'}'
         report("code before '$mid'") if $code_before;
-        report("code after '$mid'" ) if $tail =~ m/[^\s\@{]/# trailing non-whitespace non-comment non-'{' (non-'\')
+        report("code after '$mid'" ) if $tail =~ m/[^\s@\{]/# trailing non-whitespace non-comment non-'{' (non-'\')
                                                     && !($mid eq "else" && $tail =~ m/[\s@]*if(\W|$)/);
         if ($mid eq "do") { # workarounds for code before 'do'
             if ($head =~ m/(^|^.*\W)(else)(\W.*$|$)/) { # 'else' ... 'do'
@@ -1144,7 +1145,7 @@ sub check_nested_nonblock_indents {
                 # The following helps detecting the exception when handling multiple 'if ... else' branches:
                     !($keyword_opening_brace eq "else" && $line_opening_brace < $line_before2);
             }
-            report("code after '{'") if $tail=~ m/[^\s\@]/ && # trailing non-whitespace non-comment (non-'\')
+            report("code after '{'") if $tail=~ m/[^\s@]/ && # trailing non-whitespace non-comment (non-'\')
                                       !($tail=~ m/\}/);  # missing '}' after last '{'
         }
     }