diff --git a/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.json b/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d67b6400
--- /dev/null
+++ b/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "area": [
+    {
+      "xpos": 590,
+      "ypos": 397,
+      "width": 127,
+      "height": 15,
+      "type": "match"
+    },
+    {
+      "xpos": 973,
+      "ypos": 396,
+      "width": 39,
+      "height": 173,
+      "type": "match"
+    }
+  ],
+  "properties": [],
+  "tags": [
+    "DESKTOP-kde",
+    "desktop_update_notification_only"
+  ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.png b/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b32d63d6
Binary files /dev/null and b/needles/kde/desktop_update_notification_only-kde-20210615.png differ
diff --git a/tests/desktop_notifications.pm b/tests/desktop_notifications.pm
index 74b7690b..5b4a6d84 100644
--- a/tests/desktop_notifications.pm
+++ b/tests/desktop_notifications.pm
@@ -119,10 +119,15 @@ sub run {
     }
     if (get_var("BOOTFROM")) {
         if ($desktop eq 'kde' && $relnum > 33) {
-            # there is no permanent notification in F34+, check we saw
-            # the transient one earlier and we see no others now
-            assert_screen "desktop_no_notifications";
-            die "No update notification was shown!" unless $seen;
+            # there is not always a permanent notification in F34+,
+            # if we don't see one, check we saw the transient one
+            # earlier. FIXME: maybe drop the 'transient' path here
+            # if the permanent notification seems to be reliably
+            # back after 2021-06-13 Rawhide?
+            assert_screen ["desktop_no_notifications", "desktop_update_notification_only"];
+            if (match_has_tag "desktop_no_notifications") {
+                die "No update notification was shown!" unless $seen;
+            }
         }
         else {
             # we should see an update notification and no others