diff --git a/ci/test/02_run_container.py b/ci/test/02_run_container.py
index 311fe923954..64077c4b689 100755
--- a/ci/test/02_run_container.py
+++ b/ci/test/02_run_container.py
@@ -47,7 +47,26 @@ def main():
                 file.write(f"{k}={v}\n")
     run(["cat", env_file])
 
-    if not os.getenv("DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST"):
+    if os.getenv("DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST"):
+        print("Running on host system without docker wrapper")
+        print("Create missing folders")
+        for create_dir in [
+                os.environ["CCACHE_DIR"],
+                os.environ["PREVIOUS_RELEASES_DIR"],
+        ]:
+            Path(create_dir).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+        # Modify PATH to prepend the retry script, needed for CI_RETRY_EXE
+        os.environ["PATH"] = f"{os.environ['BASE_ROOT_DIR']}/ci/retry:{os.environ['PATH']}"
+        # GNU getopt is required for the CI_RETRY_EXE script
+        if os.getenv("CI_OS_NAME") == "macos":
+            prefix = run(
+                ["brew", "--prefix", "gnu-getopt"],
+                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                text=True,
+            ).stdout.strip()
+            os.environ["IN_GETOPT_BIN"] = f"{prefix}/bin/getopt"
+    else:
         CI_IMAGE_LABEL = "bitcoin-ci-test"
 
         # Use buildx unconditionally
@@ -142,18 +161,31 @@ def main():
             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
             text=True,
         ).stdout.strip()
-        os.environ["CI_CONTAINER_ID"] = container_id
 
-    # GNU getopt is required for the CI_RETRY_EXE script
-    if os.getenv("CI_OS_NAME") == "macos":
-        prefix = run(
-            ["brew", "--prefix", "gnu-getopt"],
-            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-            text=True,
-        ).stdout.strip()
-        os.environ["IN_GETOPT_BIN"] = f"{prefix}/bin/getopt"
+    def ci_exec(cmd_inner, **kwargs):
+        if os.getenv("DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST"):
+            prefix = []
+        else:
+            prefix = ["docker", "exec", container_id]
 
-    run(["./ci/test/02_run_container.sh"])  # run the remainder
+        return run([*prefix, *cmd_inner], **kwargs)
+
+    # Normalize all folders to BASE_ROOT_DIR
+    ci_exec([
+        "rsync",
+        "--recursive",
+        "--perms",
+        "--stats",
+        "--human-readable",
+        f"{os.environ['BASE_READ_ONLY_DIR']}/",
+        f"{os.environ['BASE_ROOT_DIR']}",
+    ])
+    ci_exec([f"{os.environ['BASE_ROOT_DIR']}/ci/test/01_base_install.sh"])
+    ci_exec([f"{os.environ['BASE_ROOT_DIR']}/ci/test/03_test_script.sh"])
+
+    if not os.getenv("DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST"):
+        print("Stop and remove CI container by ID")
+        run(["docker", "container", "kill", container_id])
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/ci/test/02_run_container.sh b/ci/test/02_run_container.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 41128b5c023..00000000000
--- a/ci/test/02_run_container.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-#
-# Copyright (c) 2018-present The Bitcoin Core developers
-# Distributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying
-# file COPYING or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.
-
-export LC_ALL=C.UTF-8
-
-set -o errexit -o pipefail -o xtrace
-
-if [ -z "$DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST" ]; then
-  export CI_EXEC_CMD_PREFIX="docker exec ${CI_CONTAINER_ID}"
-else
-  echo "Running on host system without docker wrapper"
-  echo "Create missing folders"
-  mkdir -p "${CCACHE_DIR}"
-  mkdir -p "${PREVIOUS_RELEASES_DIR}"
-fi
-
-CI_EXEC () {
-  $CI_EXEC_CMD_PREFIX bash -c "export PATH=\"/path_with space:${BASE_ROOT_DIR}/ci/retry:\$PATH\" && cd \"${BASE_ROOT_DIR}\" && $*"
-}
-export -f CI_EXEC
-
-# Normalize all folders to BASE_ROOT_DIR
-CI_EXEC rsync --recursive --perms --stats --human-readable "${BASE_READ_ONLY_DIR}/" "${BASE_ROOT_DIR}" || echo "Nothing to copy from ${BASE_READ_ONLY_DIR}/"
-CI_EXEC "${BASE_ROOT_DIR}/ci/test/01_base_install.sh"
-CI_EXEC "${BASE_ROOT_DIR}/ci/test/03_test_script.sh"
-
-if [ -z "$DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST" ]; then
-  echo "Stop and remove CI container by ID"
-  docker container kill "${CI_CONTAINER_ID}"
-fi
diff --git a/ci/test/03_test_script.sh b/ci/test/03_test_script.sh
index e61dc33edc9..39e13945e25 100755
--- a/ci/test/03_test_script.sh
+++ b/ci/test/03_test_script.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ export LC_ALL=C.UTF-8
 
 set -ex
 
+cd "${BASE_ROOT_DIR}"
+
+export PATH="/path_with space:${PATH}"
 export ASAN_OPTIONS="detect_leaks=1:detect_stack_use_after_return=1:check_initialization_order=1:strict_init_order=1"
 export LSAN_OPTIONS="suppressions=${BASE_ROOT_DIR}/test/sanitizer_suppressions/lsan"
 export TSAN_OPTIONS="suppressions=${BASE_ROOT_DIR}/test/sanitizer_suppressions/tsan:halt_on_error=1:second_deadlock_stack=1"
diff --git a/ci/test_imagefile b/ci/test_imagefile
index a0e1714ed5f..5c34d8efae0 100644
--- a/ci/test_imagefile
+++ b/ci/test_imagefile
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ ENV FILE_ENV=${FILE_ENV}
 ARG BASE_ROOT_DIR
 ENV BASE_ROOT_DIR=${BASE_ROOT_DIR}
 
+# Make retry available in PATH, needed for CI_RETRY_EXE
 COPY ./ci/retry/retry /usr/bin/retry
 COPY ./ci/test/00_setup_env.sh ./${FILE_ENV} ./ci/test/01_base_install.sh /ci_container_base/ci/test/