diff --git a/meta-zephyr-core/lib/oeqa/controllers/zephyrtargetcontrol.py b/meta-zephyr-core/lib/oeqa/controllers/zephyrtargetcontrol.py
index e9bc6bb..a557a5c 100644
--- a/meta-zephyr-core/lib/oeqa/controllers/zephyrtargetcontrol.py
+++ b/meta-zephyr-core/lib/oeqa/controllers/zephyrtargetcontrol.py
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ class QemuTargetZephyr(OETarget):
             machine='', rootfs='', tmpdir ='',dir_image ='',display=None,
             kernel='',boottime=60,bootlog='',kvm=False,slirp=False,
             dump_dir='',serial_ports=0,ovmf=None,tmpfsdir='' ,target_modules_path='',powercontrol_cmd='',powercontrol_extra_args='',
-            serialcontrol_cmd=None,serialcontrol_extra_args='',testimage_dump_target='',testimage_dump_monitor='',native_sysroot=None):
+            serialcontrol_cmd=None,serialcontrol_extra_args='',testimage_dump_target='',testimage_dump_monitor='',native_sysroot=None,
+            ignore_ssh_fails=True):
 
         timeout =  300
         user = 'root'
@@ -60,3 +61,17 @@ class QemuTargetZephyr(OETarget):
 
     def serial_readline(self):
         return self.runner.serial_readline()
+
+    def run(self, cmd, timeout=None, ignore_status=True, raw=False, ignore_ssh_fails=False):
+        """
+        QemuTargetZephyr has no SSH (or other remote shell) support, only
+        a serial console. Treat every call as an SSH failure (status 255),
+        matching OESSHTarget's convention, so that callers written for
+        SSH-capable targets (e.g. testimage's post-failure actions) degrade
+        gracefully instead of raising a TypeError.
+        """
+        status, output = 255, "QemuTargetZephyr has no SSH support; only serial console access is available"
+        if not ignore_ssh_fails:
+            raise AssertionError(output)
+        return (status, output)
+