diff --git a/command/meta_backend.go b/command/meta_backend.go
index f519ebcec2..a6a9da4c06 100644
--- a/command/meta_backend.go
+++ b/command/meta_backend.go
@@ -462,6 +462,16 @@ func (m *Meta) backendFromConfig(opts *BackendOpts) (backend.Backend, tfdiags.Di
 
 	// Potentially changing a backend configuration
 	case c != nil && !s.Backend.Empty():
+		// If we're not initializing, then it's sufficient for the configuration
+		// hashes to match, since that suggests that the static backend
+		// settings in the configuration files are unchanged. (The only
+		// record we have of CLI overrides is in the settings cache in this
+		// case, so we have no other source to compare with.
+		if !opts.Init && cHash == s.Backend.Hash {
+			log.Printf("[TRACE] Meta.Backend: using already-initialized, unchanged %q backend configuration", c.Type)
+			return m.backend_C_r_S_unchanged(c, cHash, sMgr)
+		}
+
 		// If our configuration is the same, then we're just initializing
 		// a previously configured remote backend.
 		if !m.backendConfigNeedsMigration(c, s.Backend) {
diff --git a/command/plan_test.go b/command/plan_test.go
index 1abd6c9f37..3220968f99 100644
--- a/command/plan_test.go
+++ b/command/plan_test.go
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func TestPlan_outBackend(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	if code := c.Run(args); code != 0 {
 		t.Logf("stdout: %s", ui.OutputWriter.String())
-		t.Fatalf("bad: %d\n\n%s", code, ui.ErrorWriter.String())
+		t.Fatalf("plan command failed with exit code %d\n\n%s", code, ui.ErrorWriter.String())
 	}
 
 	plan := testReadPlan(t, outPath)