diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index dd9a319814a895b8f5cb2540d4603be845acb0ff..226f4c1cf90b39ae50b0955d10e4cfab74176357 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -11,5 +11,5 @@ jobs:
         with:
           go-version: '1.20'
       - run: './build.sh' # verify the thing compiles first
-      - run: 'go test -c -v ./test && ./test.test'
+      - run: 'go test -c -v ./test && ./test.test' # cheat and work around working directory issues
         timeout-minutes: 30
diff --git a/test/test_internals/deps_docker_context.go b/test/test_internals/deps_docker_context.go
index 73b36d7d6f004622c793374c2f91c72fbc372742..f83b7e79e79533189ebda59b488f31f10f31d1c7 100644
--- a/test/test_internals/deps_docker_context.go
+++ b/test/test_internals/deps_docker_context.go
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ func createDockerContext() (*os.File, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	err = tmpF.Chmod(0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	tarContext := tar.NewWriter(tmpF)
 
 	err = filepath.WalkDir(".", func(path string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
diff --git a/test/test_internals/deps_minio.go b/test/test_internals/deps_minio.go
index e00e04ef7e41ad2485ae0b564c0374b2c9d3b7d1..15b1eddb48bcc0602ead3a80a158ebd7b46beb5e 100644
--- a/test/test_internals/deps_minio.go
+++ b/test/test_internals/deps_minio.go
@@ -85,6 +85,10 @@ func MakeMinio(depNet *NetworkDep) (*MinioDep, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	err = f.Chmod(0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	_, err = f.Write([]byte(strings.ReplaceAll(w.String(), "\r\n", "\n"))) // dos2unix now instead of in the container
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/test/test_internals/deps_mmr.go b/test/test_internals/deps_mmr.go
index d0bad9365b14cf114993da05a5874ddbf5bd53d8..9e74a7f528c6c6993f5a1df9e3d380045d8ae6fd 100644
--- a/test/test_internals/deps_mmr.go
+++ b/test/test_internals/deps_mmr.go
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ func writeMmrConfig(tmplArgs mmrTmplArgs) (string, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
+	err = f.Chmod(0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
 	_, err = f.Write([]byte(w.String()))
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
diff --git a/test/test_internals/deps_synapse.go b/test/test_internals/deps_synapse.go
index 8dc2ca2156751514312b17cda23bb95436ff9f40..2a755d890e974032e4c5d806976a0f6756fbb2c7 100644
--- a/test/test_internals/deps_synapse.go
+++ b/test/test_internals/deps_synapse.go
@@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ func MakeSynapse(domainName string, depNet *NetworkDep) (*SynapseDep, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	err = f.Chmod(0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	_, err = f.Write([]byte(w.String()))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err