diff --git a/test/e2e/lib/install.bash b/test/e2e/lib/install.bash
index 580103e0e..cf3242a71 100755
--- a/test/e2e/lib/install.bash
+++ b/test/e2e/lib/install.bash
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 source "${E2E_DIR}/lib/defer.bash"
 # shellcheck disable=SC1090
 source "${E2E_DIR}/lib/template.bash"
+# shellcheck disable=SC1090
+source "${E2E_DIR}/lib/poll.bash"
 
 function install_tiller() {
   if ! helm version > /dev/null 2>&1; then # only if helm isn't already installed
@@ -95,20 +97,25 @@ function install_git_srv() {
 
   kubectl apply -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" -k "${E2E_DIR}/fixtures/kustom/${kustomization_dir}" >&3
 
-  # Wait for the git server to be ready
+  # Wait for the git server to be rolled out
   kubectl -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" rollout status deployment/gitsrv
 
+  local git_srv_podname
+  git_srv_podname=$(kubectl get pod -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" -l name=gitsrv -o jsonpath="{['items'][0].metadata.name}")
+  coproc kubectl port-forward -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" "$git_srv_podname" :22
+  local local_port
+  read -r local_port <&"${COPROC[0]}"-
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2001
+  local_port=$(echo "$local_port" | sed 's%.*:\([0-9]*\).*%\1%')
+  local ssh_cmd="ssh -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null  -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i $gen_dir/id_rsa -p $local_port"
+  # Wait for the git server to be ready
+  GIT_SSH_COMMAND="${ssh_cmd}" poll_until_true 'gitsrv to be ready' 'git ls-remote ssh://git@localhost/git-server/repos/cluster.git master > /dev/null'
+
   if [ -n "$external_access_result_var" ]; then
-    local git_srv_podname
-    git_srv_podname=$(kubectl get pod -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" -l name=gitsrv -o jsonpath="{['items'][0].metadata.name}")
-    coproc kubectl port-forward -n "${FLUX_NAMESPACE}" "$git_srv_podname" :22
-    local local_port
-    read -r local_port <&"${COPROC[0]}"-
-    # shellcheck disable=SC2001
-    local_port=$(echo "$local_port" | sed 's%.*:\([0-9]*\).*%\1%')
-    local ssh_cmd="ssh -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null  -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i $gen_dir/id_rsa -p $local_port"
     # return the ssh command needed for git, and the PID of the port-forwarding PID into a variable of choice
     eval "${external_access_result_var}=('$ssh_cmd' '$COPROC_PID')"
+  else
+    kill "${COPROC_PID}" > /dev/null
   fi
 }