diff --git a/backend/tests/test_rc5_release_deployment.py b/backend/tests/test_rc5_release_deployment.py
index 203399d4..094af2b0 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_rc5_release_deployment.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_rc5_release_deployment.py
@@ -96,6 +96,8 @@ def test_upgrade_smoke_restores_and_upgrades_only_an_isolated_database() -> None
     assert "geointel_restore_verify_" in script
     assert 'make_url(os.environ["DATABASE_URL"])' in script
     assert ".set(database=os.environ[\"TARGET_DB\"])" in script
+    assert '"$CONTAINER" sh -c' in script
+    assert '"$CONTAINER" sh -lc' not in script
     assert "python -m alembic upgrade head" in script
     assert "production_database_untouched" in script
     assert 'dropdb --if-exists -U "$db_user" "$TARGET_DB"' in script
diff --git a/scripts/verify_release_upgrade_smoke.sh b/scripts/verify_release_upgrade_smoke.sh
index d36619aa..f5257d4e 100644
--- a/scripts/verify_release_upgrade_smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/verify_release_upgrade_smoke.sh
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ if ! [[ "$TARGET_DB" =~ ^geointel_restore_verify_[0-9_]+$ ]]; then
   exit 3
 fi
 
-docker exec -e TARGET_DB="$TARGET_DB" "$CONTAINER" sh -lc '
+docker exec -e TARGET_DB="$TARGET_DB" "$CONTAINER" sh -c '
   target_url="$(python -c '"'"'
 import os
 from sqlalchemy.engine import make_url
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ print(
 DB_USER="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" sh -c 'printf %s "${POSTGRES_USER:-${GEOINTEL_POSTGRES_USER:-geointel}}"' )"
 ALEMBIC_HEAD="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" psql -X -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -U "$DB_USER" -d "$TARGET_DB" -Atqc \
   "SELECT version_num FROM alembic_version;")"
-EXPECTED_HEAD="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" sh -lc 'python -m alembic heads | awk "{print \$1}"')"
+EXPECTED_HEAD="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" sh -c 'python -m alembic heads | awk "{print \$1}"')"
 POSTGIS_VERSION="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" psql -X -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -U "$DB_USER" -d "$TARGET_DB" -Atqc \
   "SELECT postgis_version();")"
 RELEASE_REVISION="$(docker inspect --format '{{index .Config.Labels "org.opencontainers.image.revision"}}' "$CONTAINER")"