diff --git a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.cpp b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.cpp
index 06101352d0..13a0e4e604 100644
--- a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.cpp
+++ b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.cpp
@@ -181,23 +181,30 @@ KvpFrameImpl::set_path(Path path, KvpValue* value) noexcept
 std::string
 KvpFrameImpl::to_string() const noexcept
 {
-    std::ostringstream ret;
-    ret << "{\n";
+    return to_string("");
+}
 
+std::string
+KvpFrameImpl::to_string(std::string const & prefix) const noexcept
+{
+    if (!m_valuemap.size())
+        return prefix;
+    std::ostringstream ret;
     std::for_each(m_valuemap.begin(), m_valuemap.end(),
-        [this,&ret](const map_type::value_type &a)
+        [this,&ret,&prefix](const map_type::value_type &a)
         {
-            ret << "    ";
+            std::string new_prefix {prefix};
             if (a.first)
-                ret << a.first;
-            ret << " => ";
+            {
+                new_prefix += a.first;
+                new_prefix += "/";
+            }
             if (a.second)
-                ret << a.second->to_string();
-            ret << ",\n";
+                ret << a.second->to_string(new_prefix) << "\n";
+            else
+                ret << new_prefix << "(null)\n";
         }
     );
-
-    ret << "}\n";
     return ret.str();
 }
 
diff --git a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.hpp b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.hpp
index e5308ec208..1af4217bf5 100644
--- a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.hpp
+++ b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-frame.hpp
@@ -187,6 +187,12 @@ struct KvpFrameImpl
      * @return A std::string representing the frame and all its children.
      */
     std::string to_string() const noexcept;
+    /**
+     * Make a string representation of the frame with the specified string
+     * prefixed to every item in the frame.
+     * @return A std::string representing all the children of the frame.
+     */
+    std::string to_string(std::string const & prefix) const noexcept;
     /**
      * Report the keys in the immediate frame. Be sensible about using this, it
      * isn't a very efficient way to iterate.
diff --git a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.cpp b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.cpp
index 55e0e6e08f..a0329d2112 100644
--- a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.cpp
+++ b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.cpp
@@ -125,34 +125,32 @@ struct to_string_visitor : boost::static_visitor<void>
 
     void operator()(int64_t val)
     {
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_GINT64(" << val << ")";
+        output << val << " (64-bit int)";
     }
 
-    void operator()(KvpFrame * val)
+    void operator()(KvpFrame* val)
     {
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_FRAME(" << val->to_string() << ")";
+        output << val->to_string();
     }
 
     void operator()(GDate val)
     {
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_GDATE(";
         output << std::setw(4) << g_date_get_year(&val) << '-';
         output << std::setw(2) << g_date_get_month(&val) << '-';
-        output << std::setw(2) << g_date_get_day(&val) << ')';
+        output << std::setw(2) << g_date_get_day(&val);
+        output << " (gdate)";
     }
 
     void operator()(GList * val)
     {
         output << "KVP_VALUE_GLIST(";
         output << "[ ";
-
         /*Since val is passed by value, we can modify it*/
         for (;val; val = val->next)
         {
             auto realvalue = static_cast<const KvpValue *>(val->data);
             output << ' ' << realvalue->to_string() << ',';
         }
-
         output << " ]";
         output << ")";
     }
@@ -161,53 +159,66 @@ struct to_string_visitor : boost::static_visitor<void>
     {
         char tmp1[40] {};
         gnc_timespec_to_iso8601_buff (val, tmp1);
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_TIMESPEC(" << tmp1 << ")";
+        output << tmp1 << " (timespec)";
     }
 
     void operator()(gnc_numeric val)
     {
         auto tmp1 = gnc_numeric_to_string(val);
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_NUMERIC(";
         if (tmp1)
         {
             output << tmp1;
             g_free(tmp1);
         }
-        output << ")";
+        else
+        {
+            output << "(null)";
+        }
+        output << " (timespec)";
     }
 
     void operator()(GncGUID * val)
     {
         char guidstr[GUID_ENCODING_LENGTH+1];
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_GUID(";
         if (val)
         {
             guid_to_string_buff(val,guidstr);
             output << guidstr;
         }
-        output << ")";
+        else
+        {
+            output << "(null)";
+        }
+        output << " (guid)";
     }
 
     void operator()(const char * val)
     {
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_STRING(" << val << ")";
+        output << val << " (char *)";
     }
 
     void operator()(double val)
     {
-        output << "KVP_VALUE_DOUBLE(" << val << ")";
+        output << val << " (double)";
     }
 };
 
 std::string
-KvpValueImpl::to_string() const noexcept
+KvpValueImpl::to_string(std::string const & prefix) const noexcept
 {
+    if (this->datastore.type() == typeid(KvpFrame*))
+        return this->get<KvpFrame*>()->to_string(prefix);
     std::ostringstream ret;
     to_string_visitor visitor {ret};
     boost::apply_visitor(visitor, datastore);
-
     /*We still use g_strdup since the return value will be freed by g_free*/
-    return ret.str();
+    return prefix + ret.str();
+}
+
+std::string
+KvpValueImpl::to_string() const noexcept
+{
+    return to_string("");
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.hpp b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.hpp
index 003ee7d702..78a8eb7fa7 100644
--- a/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.hpp
+++ b/libgnucash/engine/kvp-value.hpp
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ struct KvpValueImpl
     KvpValueImpl::Type get_type() const noexcept;
 
     std::string to_string() const noexcept;
+    std::string to_string(std::string const & prefix) const noexcept;
 
     template <typename T>
     T get() const noexcept;
diff --git a/libgnucash/engine/test/utest-Transaction.cpp b/libgnucash/engine/test/utest-Transaction.cpp
index dde0a48582..a95a5acaff 100644
--- a/libgnucash/engine/test/utest-Transaction.cpp
+++ b/libgnucash/engine/test/utest-Transaction.cpp
@@ -885,7 +885,7 @@ test_xaccTransEqual (Fixture *fixture, gconstpointer pData)
     xaccTransCommitEdit (clone);
     g_free (cleanup->msg);
     g_free (check->msg);
-    check->msg = g_strdup ("[xaccTransEqual] kvp frames differ:\n{\n    notes => KVP_VALUE_STRING(Salt pork sausage),\n    qux => KVP_VALUE_FRAME({\n    quux => KVP_VALUE_FRAME({\n    corge => KVP_VALUE_DOUBLE(654.321),\n}\n),\n}\n),\n}\n\n\nvs\n\n{\n    notes => KVP_VALUE_STRING(Salt pork sausage),\n    qux => KVP_VALUE_FRAME({\n    quux => KVP_VALUE_FRAME({\n    corge => KVP_VALUE_DOUBLE(123.456),\n}\n),\n}\n),\n}\n");
+    check->msg = g_strdup ("[xaccTransEqual] kvp frames differ:\nnotes/Salt pork sausage (char *)\nqux/quux/corge/654.321 (double)\n\n\n\n\nvs\n\nnotes/Salt pork sausage (char *)\nqux/quux/corge/123.456 (double)\n\n\n");
 
     g_assert (!xaccTransEqual (clone, txn0, TRUE, FALSE, TRUE, TRUE));